Please Don't Hurt Me
by ultimategleek
Summary: The room smelled of coconuts and...Brittany. It was a nice change to the smell that clung to the walls in her own room. The smell of...him. Warning: Sexual and Physical abuse. First fanfic so reviews and tips greatly appreciated! :
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Santana woke abruptly to the sound of glass smashing, followed by a dull thud and a yelp of pain. Those sounds had become all too familiar to her. She cringed as she heard her father yelling abuse. The Latina had been here so often. She grabbed a pillow and pressed it over her ears and gently began crying herself to sleep.

xXx

Santana groaned as the alarm went off. The brunette rose slowly and looked at the clock. 6.30. She dragged herself out of the bed and sat down at her dressing table. Today would be a challenge. First day of school since moving from New York to this shithole, Lima Ohio. She thought of her old school and prayed that this time it would be different.

She grabbed her clothes and make up and headed for the bathroom. She padded softly down the hall, not wishing to wake her father. He was not a morning person. She entered the bathroom and started getting changed. She winced as she pulled on her top over her tender ribs. She shook her head sadly as she opened the door and made her way downstairs. Grabbing a muffin, she picked up her keys and headed out the door.

xXx

There it was. Her new school. She pulled up outside the door and took in her surroundings.

"William McKinley High School", she found herself saying out loud as she stared in awe at the enormous building in front of her. She glanced at her watch and swore loudly as she realised she was late. Grabbing her bag, she jumped out of the car and approached the entrance.

Inside the building was silence. Everyone had gone to class it seemed and Santana was left alone in an empty hallway, completely lost. She began to go in search of the principal's office. She wandered around aimlessly for what seemed like ages until finally she saw a sign reading "Principal Figgins". She knocked slowly on the door and entered.

She was greeted by a friendly looking man in a fancy suit.

"May I help you?" he asked with a friendly smile.

"H-hello I'm S-santana Lopez. I'm new here.." the Latina replied nervously.

"Ah Miss Lopez! Welcome to McKinley High! I'm Principal Figgins!". He held out his hand, which Santana shook politely.

Principal Figgins proceeded to give her her schedule and informed her about the school's facilities.

"Now, I understand it may take you a few days to get to know the school so- Ah Brittany!"

Principal Figgins cut himself off mid-sentence and looked out into the hallway.

Santana turned around and her mouth fell open. Standing in front of her was a tall, blonde girl, wearing what appeared to be a cheerleading outfit. Santana looked right into her cobalt eyes and was immediately mesmerized. She could hear Principal Figgins talking but she wasn't taking in what he was saying, she was just so lost in the eyes…

"Miss Lopez?"

Santana was snapped back into reality.

"Uh yeah…yeah?"

"I was just saying how Miss Pierce here has kindly offered to give you a tour of the school as she can't remember what class she has now. Off you go then."

"Yeah sure", Santana murmured as she stared at the cobalt eyes again and made her way blindly out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"This is the girls' restroom. Well at least I think it is, because the guy on the door is wearing a dress…" Brittany looked thoughtful. Santana held back a smirk as she realised this girl was being serious.

"And this is the choir room", the blonde announced as she opened the last door in the hallway, "This is where we practise for glee club. Mr. Schuester says I'm the best dancer…well and Mike of course…." Brittany's voice trailed off as she entered her own little world. Santana looked around the room and sighed. She thought back to the days when she was part of the glee club in her old school. She loved to sing and dance and was the star of the club. That was, until her father found out and put a stop to it, as he did anything that gave his daughter joy, relief. Relief from…

Santana was brought back to reality by a soft touch on her arm. She flinched and pulled away from the blonde. "Santana are you okay? Y-you're shaking!"

The Latina shook her head and fought back the tears as she fled from the room.

xXx

"Santana wait!" Brittany called after her, but she had already disappeared down the hall. The blonde was left standing alone and bewildered in the choir room as the bell went for next period. All she could think about for the whole class was the mysterious brunette. Why did she cower from her touch? And why did she run off without explanation? Brittany decided that she needed to go and find her, so as the lunch bell went; she picked up her bag and headed to the girls' bathroom. This was the most likely destination for a distressed teen to flee to. She opened the door slowly and called out to Santana. When she got no reply, she began checking the stalls. The Latina was nowhere to be found.

She spent the next hour searching the school, although she was sure she had only checked a few places because she kept on getting lost and ending up in the same place over and over. She stepped out into the car park and immediately saw the brunette sitting in a run down old car. She approached cautiously and could see that the girl was crying. Santana looked up and spotted Brittany and immediately began wiping the tears from her face, hoping to hide her weakness.

Brittany hated seeing anyone sad like this and was intrigued by the brunette, so she walked around to the passenger side and hopped into the car. She glanced at Santana, who looked awful. Her eyes were puffy and red, there was mascara smeared down her face and fresh tears were still falling. The blonde also noticed that the girl beside her was still shaking. Brittany put her hand on the other girls' hand to comfort her , but was hurt when again the Latina pulled away from her touch and cowered against the car door, sobbing.

"Santana, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Brittany asked, concerned.

Santana just shook her head and continued to cry.

"Was it something I said? Or did? Is it because I wasn't a good tour guide? I know I could have been better, but I get confused! Santana? Santana please _talk_ to me!" Brittany whined.

"Look, it was nothing you did or said, so please stop asking, leave me alone and get out of the car before I punch you in the face!" Santana cried, with pain in her eyes.

Brittany just stared at the girl. Suddenly her eyes filled with tears and she flung the door open and fled to the safety of the school. Santana knew she should go after her but she was just hurting too bad, so instead she wiped away the remaining tears and started the car. She just wanted some time to herself so she drove past her house and into the woods nearby. She got out and looked silently around her, thinking back.

This had always been her safe haven. She would come here alone after a hard night at home. She would sit and think about what had just happened to her. To _her_. His _daughter._ How could he do that to his own daughter. She shuddered as the memories came back to her and she swore she could feel his rough hands on her again. She slumped against a tree and began crying again. It didn't happen as often now but she dreaded coming home every night in case it did. She wasn't safe in her own home, but there was nothing she could do. Her mother was as scared as Santana so she would never tell, and who was going to believe a 16 year old girl that her own father was doing what he did. The bruises could prove something but Santana was terrified of what would happen if her father found out that she told anyone.

As the sun began to set, Santana decided it was time to go as her father would be home soon and he was never impressed if his punch bags weren't there waiting for him. She pulled herself up, wiped away the last of her tears and got back into the car. She inhaled sharply as she approached the house and realised that her father was already home. She quickly got out of the car and walked up to the front door. She opened it as quietly as she could and stepped silently into the hallway. Shutting the door behind her, she began to run up the stairs, barely making a sound, but gasped as she stumbled and her face met the top step. She scrambled up, afraid that her fall would attract attention, and made it safely into her room. She slumped against the wall in the corner and hugged her knees tightly to her chest.

"Santana Lopez!" a voice boomed from downstairs. It was him. She hugged her knees tighter and began bracing herself for what she knew was coming. She heard heavy footfalls on the stairs and he came crashing through the door. Santana stood up hastily, hoping to appear braver than she was actually feeling.

"Why didn't you answer me, you whore?" he asked menacingly.

Santana stared at the ground. "I-I didn't h-hear you", she stuttered, without looking up.

"DON'T YOU LIE TO ME!" he bellowed and swung his arm wildly, catching Santana on the face and knocking her to the ground. She began to crawl to the bed and used it to support her weak body as she got up, her face still stinging. He grabbed her by the hair and flung her roughly onto the bed. He joined her and immediately began groping and touching. She tried to scream and get him off her but as soon as she opened her mouth his hard fist met her face, causing her to wince. As he got rougher, Santana just lay there, knowing it wasn't worth fighting against. Her energy was gone in any case after the beating. She shut her eyes and tried to black out the crime that was being done to her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Brittany woke up the next morning, thinking of Santana. She was worried about her, even though she hardly knew her. She hopped out of bed and pulled on her clothes, her mind lost in thought. She decided. She would go and find Santana today and make things right. She didn't know what she did wrong but she would find out and help make it better.

xXx

Brittany saw the brunette as soon as she entered the school. She was standing at her locker, looking thoughtfully at her schedule. Brittany just stared for a few minutes, taking in the beauty that was Santana. She looked different today. Somehow.

"Santana!" Brittany called across the hall.

Santana jumped and looked up startled. She had changed her hair today, with her long fringe brushed to the side, covering one side of her face. She smiled weakly as she saw Brittany approaching.

"Hey Santana, I wanted to talk to you about ye-" Brittany began.

"I'm sorry", Santana interrupted. "I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that. I just have a lot on my mind…"

"Its alright San", Brittany smiled forgivingly. "I just want us to be friends, okay?"

"Okay", Santana agreed. Brittany leaned in to give her a hug, but Santana pulled away. "I-I'm not ready for that yet…" Santana uttered quietly.

Brittany just nodded and slipped her pinky into her new best friends'. Santana flinched but didn't pull her hand away and they walked off to class, pinky in pinky.

xXx

Santana and Brittany soon became the best of friends. They were inseparable. They went to every class together, ate lunch together and even went to the bathroom together. Brittany was the first shred of happiness Santana had had in her life in a long time and she didn't plan on letting her out of her sight. Every evening, Santana would go to Brittany's house and help her with her homework. With Santana's help, Brittany soon realised that the square root of 4 isn't rainbows and her grades began to improve. All the while, she remained oblivious to Santana's home life.

Santana wanted to spoil Brittany so she bought them friendship bracelets, which they agreed never to take off. Santana soon discovered that Brittany loved ducks.

"Hey B", Santana said as she approached the blonde by her locker one day. She took out a small jewellery box and handed it to her best friend.

Brittany gasped as she opened it. Inside was a sterling silver necklace with a little yellow duck hanging off of it.

"Oh San its beautiful!" Brittany exclaimed. "Will you put it on for me?"

"Sure", Santana took the necklace from Brittany and gently tied it around the blonde's neck. Santana smiled happily as Brittany stared adoringly at the necklace. All she wanted was to make Brittany happy. Then, without warning, Brittany turned around and wrapped her arms around Santana, pulling her into a big hug. Santana's immediate reaction was to pull away, but she found that Brittany was holding her too tightly, so she just enjoyed the moment. She inhaled deeply the coconut scent from Brittany's golden locks. It felt amazing. It was the first time anyone had ever shown her a sign of affection.

"San?" Brittany said as she released her friend, "Do you want to stay over at my place tonight? Like a sleepover?" As soon as she had said it, Brittany could see the fear in Santana's eyes. "Oh don't worry San! I'm not that scary am I?"

Santana shook her head, "No, it's not you its just…I'll have to ask my parents", she looked sadly down at the floor, knowing exactly what her father would say. "I have to go Britt. I'll text you later".

Brittany watched as the Latina walked away, head down, looking broken. Brittany turned around and headed for her car. She wanted to make tonight special for Santana, who looked like she needed a friend.

xXx

Santana pulled up outside her house. She sighed in relief as she noticed that her father wasn't home. She opened the front door and stepped into the hallway. "Mom!" she called out. She heard a noise in the kitchen and went in to find her mother cooking the dinner there.

"Oh hello sweetie!" her mother exclaimed, a fake, happy families smile plastered on her face, "I'm just making the dinner! Its lasagne, your favourite!"

Santana smiled politely and then she went for it. "Mom can I stay at a friend's house tonight? Her name is Brittany and she is, like, the greatest person ever! I'll be really good and she really wants me to come!...so can I?" Santana gushed.

Her mother hesitated and the fake smile disappeared. "I-I'm not sure dear. Ask your father", she said quietly before turning back to the dinner.

"But Mom", Santana began, "You know what he will say. Please Mom, can't you make the decision? Please, I really want to go!" Santana could feel the tears coming.

"You know what he'll do to me if you don't ask him!" her mother cried, fear now plastered across her face.

Santana thought about this. Yes, she did know what he would do if she went without asking, the same thing he always did, take his anger out on anybody that got in his way. But what was the point in asking him anyway? She knew he would say no anyway and come up with something "better" to do. She sighed and turned around and headed to her room. She picked up a bag, stuffed in spare clothes, pyjamas and her make up and went back downstairs. She entered the kitchen again and approached her mother. She turned her around to face her and looked into her sad, scarred eyes.

"I'm sorry…" Santana murmured before turning and darting swiftly out the door.

xXx

"Brittany! Santana is here!" Her mother called out.

Brittany flung open her bedroom door and sprinted down the stairs. She entered the sitting room and beamed as she saw her best friend sitting on the couch. She ran to her and wrapped her up in her arms. "San! I'm so glad you could make it!" Brittany exclaimed.

Brittany's face fell as she let go of the brunette and realised that she wasn't smiling. "San look at me." Brittany put her finger under the Latina's chin and turned her face towards her. She looked deep into her caramel eyes and could see something was up. "What's wrong?" Brittany asked, concerned.

Santana was lost deep in thought and so she took a few moments to answer. When she finally did, she put on a smile, trying to cover up her hurt. "I'm fine Britt. Don't worry about me."

Brittany didn't believe her friend but she didn't want to make Santana sad again so she just let it go. She was sure Santana would tell her when she was ready. "Come on, let's go to my room!" Brittany grabbed Santana's hand and pulled her upstairs.

Brittany's room was a mess. Clothes and make up were thrown all over the floor and her bed was unmade. The walls were painted purple and posters of celebrities and…ducks covered them almost completely. Santana didn't mind the mess though. The room smelled like coconuts and…Brittany. It made a nice change from the smell that clung to the walls of Santana's room. The smell of…of…_him_.

The blonde hastily made the bed and invited Santana to sit with her. They spent the next few hours talking. About boys, school and ducks. Santana enjoyed being with Brittany and Brittany enjoyed being with Santana. Her best friend. They talked and talked until eventually they were both fast asleep in each other's arms.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ok so I decided to update again!Thanks to everyone for reading and favouriting this story!It really means a lot as its my first story!I want to know if I should continue so I don't think I'll update again until I have 3 more reviews! :D Thanks guys! Enjoy! **

…

**Chapter 4**

Santana screamed. Brittany woke with a jolt. She looked over to Santana who was trembling. The blonde edged over in the bed and wrapped her arms around the Latina. Santana was in a cold sweat and as soon as she felt Brittany's touch she fell to pieces. She began to sob and couldn't stop herself from shaking. Brittany held onto her protectively and started rocking her back and forth and whispering comforting words into her ear. Santana slowly began to calm down and eventually she drifted off to sleep.

xXx

Brittany awoke early the next morning, still holding onto her best friend. She smiled to herself as she got up and heard a soft moan come from Santana. Brittany suddenly had an idea. She pulled on a jumper and shorts and headed downstairs to the kitchen, leaving Santana sleeping peacefully. She pulled out the ingredients to make pancakes and got to work immediately. She found recipes confusing but she was willing to do anything for her best friend so she was delighted when the pancakes came out perfectly. She stacked them all on a plate and made a cute smiley face on top with chocolate sauce. She headed back upstairs with plate in hand and opened her bedroom door.

She was met by a very dishevelled looking Santana scrambling around the room looking very distressed. "Santana what's wrong?" Brittany asked.

"I'm sorry Britt, I have to go", Santana cried as she raced past Brittany and out the front door. Brittany looked longingly after her.

xXx

Santana opened the door slowly. She was afraid of what she might find inside the house. The hallway was empty so Santana dropped her bag and headed for the sitting room. She let out a gasp as she entered the room. She dropped to her knees beside her mother who was lying unconscious on the floor.

"Mom! Mom!" Santana began to screech as she roughly shook her mother, trying to wake her up, because she knew that her father was still in the house and they had to get out of there, to safety.

"Well, well". Santana heard a voice from behind her and she looked fearfully over her shoulder to see her father standing in the doorway.

"You bastard", she said quietly.

"What did you say _honey_?" her father asked, advancing menacingly.

"YOU BASTARD!" Santana bellowed as she charged at her father, punching him in the gut.

He doubled over and Santana began pelting his face with her fists. Her father quickly composed himself and stood, towering over Santana. He could see the anger and hatred in her eyes, but behind that he could see pain and fear. Weakness.

He advanced on her and she retreated until she felt the cold, hard wall behind her. She whimpered slightly as he touched her cheek, a glint in his eye. "This would never have happened", he whispered softly, "If you hadn't ran off to spend the night with your girlfriend, like the slut you are". He smirked.

Tears began to form in Santana's eyes at this. She knew what was coming. Her father swept his hand back and slapped her hard in the face. He pulled her roughly to the couch where he continued to strike her. He put a cushion to his daughter's face so all he could see were her terrified eyes. "Next time", he sneered, "I'll kill you." He removed the cushion and Santana gasped for breath. He picked her up, punched her once more in the gut and slammed her into the wall before he walked out, laughing.

Santana lay on the ground in a heap, dazed and broken. She heard her phone ringing and crawled over to where it was on the floor. She could barely make out the word Brittany before her eyes felt heavy and everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay guys here's an update!Thanks so much for all the reviews, it really means a lot considering this is my first fanfic! I'll update again when I get 5 more reviews! Please and thank you! Hope you're all enjoying the story! **

**Chapter 5**

Brittany was worried. Santana always answered her phone when she rang. As she left her 12th voicemail message she realised that something was seriously wrong. First she had had a serious nightmare during the night, then she stormed out this morning and now she wasn't answering her phone. Brittany wanted to go and find her. She assumed that Santana was at home. Then Brittany remembered that she had never been to her house before.

There was nothing she could do. She lay back on the bed and started flicking through the pictures that she had on her phone of the two of them. She hoped she would get to see her friend soon.

xXx

Santana opened her eyes slowly. It took a lot of effort just to do this simple action. She crawled over to the couch and pulled herself slowly up onto it. She lay there for a few minutes trying to regain her strength. Eventually she was able to stand up. She decided she had to go get help and there was only one person who could give it to her. She cringed as her head pounded. She had hit it hard off the wall when _he _had thrown her.

She pulled on a jacket over her bruised body and headed out the door. She tried to remember where Brittany lived and after about 2 minutes she finally did and decided it would be safer to walk. She stumbled out the gate, wincing as she tried to deal with her pain.

xXx

Brittany was busy hiding her diary from her cat, who insisted on reading it, when she heard a quiet knock on the front door. She got out from behind the couch and went to the door. She opened it and gasped as a barely recognisable brunette collapsed into her arms. Using the wall to support them, she dragged Santana into the sitting room and laid her on the couch. Brittany let out another gasp as she took in the sight in front of her.

Her best friend lay on the couch but Brittany barely recognised her. Her usually silky hair was matted with dried blood and rainwater from outside. Her face was covered in blood and scratches. Her top was ripped at the bottom and Brittany could see large, fresh bruises covering her stomach. Santana's eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and laboured. Brittany felt tears coming to her eyes as she stared in horror at the broken girl in front of her.

"Santana? Santana?" Brittany exclaimed as she gently shook her, not wishing to inflict any more pain on her friend. It had taken all of the Latina's strength to stumble the short distance to her best friend's house and now that she was there, she couldn't bring herself to move anymore, even to just open her eyes. Santana's body felt heavy, causing her to drift into a state of unconsciousness.

Brittany ran into the kitchen and got a damp towel. She slowly began washing the dried blood off her friend's head and face. She began to sob as she desperately tried to do anything she could for the mess in front of her. She applied antiseptic to the gashes on the brunette's face and put small, clear plasters on the wounds. Sitting beside her friend, she grabbed her hand and began softly rubbing her hair, willing her to wake up.

xXx

Brittany awoke abruptly 2 hours later as she felt a small squeeze on her hand. She lifted her head quickly and looked over at Santana, who had opened her eyes a little and was squinting at Brittany. She gave Brittany a small smile before wincing in pain and letting out a soft gasp.

"Oh Santana!" Brittany wailed, "I was so worried!" She gave her best friend a soft hug, not wishing to cause her more pain. "San, what happened?" Brittany asked, tears forming in her eyes.

Santana swallowed hard, forcing back her own tears. She was touched by Brittany's concern. She felt loved, for the first time in a long time. She opened her mouth to speak but found that her mouth was very dry. Brittany noticed this and ran out to get her a glass of water. When she returned she placed the glass in her best friend's hand. Santana tried to raise the glass to her mouth but cringed as a sharp pain shot up her arm. Brittany quickly took the glass from her friend and held it to her lips as she took long, desperate gulps.

As Brittany pulled the glass away, Santana felt she had the strength to speak.

"Oh Britt!" Santana broke down as soon as she opened her mouth. The tears spilled down her face as Brittany held her close.

"Its ok, everything is gonna be ok", Brittany felt her heart aching as her friend lay broken in her arms, "Just tell me what happened."

Santana took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. She managed to pull herself up into a sitting position and looking deep into the blue eyes, she started from the beginning.

"I had…a sister", confessed Santana slowly, "Her name was Mia. She was 2 years younger than me. When I was 6, my mom and her were in an accident." She took another deep breath and continued. "Mom survived but Mia…she died." At this point, Santana could feel another surge of tears coming on and she let them fall. She needed to think about Mia, to grieve. She had never really had the chance before.

When she regained composure, she continued, "My father was devastated and he took his anger out on my mom. He blamed her for taking away his daughter and wouldn't listen to all her apologies. She was hurting just as bad as he was but he couldn't see that." Santana sniffled. "His verbal abuse soon changed. I would wake up in the middle of the night to yelling and glass smashing. Every morning I would get up and come downstairs and mom would just pretend like nothing had happened. Like she was okay."

Santana knew this was about to get harder. She hesitated slightly. Her heart was aching as she tried to decide if she should tell her best friend. She had never told anyone before. And what if he found out? She shuddered but made the decision.

The Latina looked down at the floor in shame, "And then, one night when I was 8, he lost it completely. I woke up and heard a loud crash. I was sick of hiding so I went downstairs and found my mom lying unconscious on the floor, under the bookshelf that he had thrown her at. He hugged me and said that mommy had an accident and he said he was going to make me feel better." Santana felt a single tear crawl down her face. "He brought me up to my bed and he…he started touching me. I knew that this was wrong so I told him to stop but he wouldn't. I tried to fight him but he was too strong and I, I couldn't stop him! I was only a child." Santana flung herself into Brittany's arms and began sobbing. Brittany stared in horror as her best friend's words hit her. "He came every night, _comforting _me. And there was nothing I could do." Santana managed to blurt out. "Eventually he began taking his anger out on me too and he started acting violently to me, hitting me if I misbehaved or if he just felt like it."

Santana couldn't continue. She trembled in her best friend's arms and let the tears fall down her face. The blonde stroked Santana's hair and whispered comforting words to her. That's all she _could_ do. She silently began to cry as she entered a state of shock at the horrors her best friend had had to face all her life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's another update! Thanks again for the reviews! 5 more and there will be another update! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 6**

Brittany opened her eyes slowly. She squinted as the sunlight blazed through the curtains. Sighing, she tried to move her legs but found that she couldn't. She looked down and found her legs covered in a mop of brown hair. Santana's head lay in her lap, bruised and swollen. Brittany swallowed hard, holding back the tears. She couldn't believe it. How had she not noticed that something was going on? She was supposed to be her best friend. Brittany felt a wave of disappointment sweep through her. Disappointment in herself.

She should have known. If she had, she could have helped her friend. It seemed like she was the only one that could. She looked lovingly down at her friend. She hated seeing her like this. So hurt. She gently lifted her head off her lap and placed it softly on the couch.

Brittany went out to the kitchen and stared thoughtfully out the window for a while. She had to help her. In whatever way she could. She sighed deeply and rested her head in her hands, until she heard a quiet voice.

"Britt?...B?" Santana croaked from the next room. She had a bit more strength now and she managed to sit up. She regretted it immediately though as her head began to pound. Reaching her hand back, she felt the big bump on her head left by the wall. She winced.

Brittany appeared in the doorway, smiling. She approached Santana and sat down next to her. She gazed into the brown eyes in front of her. They were filled with sadness, hurt and fear. Brittany hated seeing her friend like this and her heart ached as she just stared at the brunette, not knowing what to say. What to do.

Santana knew she would have to go home eventually, but she just wasn't ready yet. She was hurt and scared and she needed someone to be there for her.

"Can I stay here tonight B?" She asked tentatively, not knowing if Brittany would want to get involved in the situation. After all, anybody else who had gotten a glimpse into this side of Santana's life either ignored it or was too scared to do anything about it. She prepared herself for the answer. She didn't blame Brittany. Her father was terrifying and she could understand why Brittany wouldn't want anything to do with her now that she knew what he was capable of. She was used to handling this on her own anyway.

The blonde hesitated for a moment. Did she really want to get into this? Santana's dad was a psychopath and Brittany was scared. No, she thought. She shook her head, removing these thoughts from her mind.

"Of course San", she replied, "You can stay as long as you want." Brittany smiled warmly at the brunette and pulled her into a loving embrace. "Come on", she continued, "Let's watch a movie. How about a Disney one? They're my favourite and maybe it will cheer you up!"

Santana nodded and smiled inwardly at Brittany's childlike persona. Another one of the many things she loved about the blonde. She watched as she flicked on the television and grabbed a cheerful Disney movie from the shelf, her golden hair flowing down her back.

Brittany pressed play and returned to the seat. She beckoned Santana towards her. The Latina sighed contentedly and settled back on the couch, resting her head on Brittany's shoulder. She felt happy and safe for the first time in a long time. Something told her that it wouldn't last long though. She knew she would have to go home eventually. Probably sooner rather than later. Her father would come home, more than likely drunk, and want to take his anger out on somebody. She felt a surge of guilt as she realised that her mother was still in the house. She wanted to protect her. She snuggled in closer to her best friend and said a silent prayer for her mother. Then she focused all her attention on the movie. She needed a break from her family life and she felt relaxed in Brittany's company.

When the movie was over, Brittany turned off the television and sat back down next to Santana, picking up her hands and holding them tightly.

"You're staying." She said simply.

"Ya thank you Britt. I really appreciate all you're doing for me." Santana smiled gratefully.

"No, San. You're staying. For good." Brittany stated firmly.

Santana looked at her sceptically. What did she mean?

"Tomorrow, we're going to go to your house and we're gonna get your stuff. And then you're gonna come back here and stay with me. You only live a small distance away right? So it shouldn't be too hard to move everything from there to here." Brittany grinned at the brunette. The grin swiftly disappeared when she saw the look on Santana's face.

"Britt no." Santana said a little too forcefully. "If I don't go home, he'll come and find me. He'll know that I'm with you because he knows that you're my only friend. I can't put you in that sort of danger. I care about you too much", she finished sadly. She so badly wanted to say yes, to feel safe. She wanted Brittany to be near her, but she didn't want her to get hurt.

"I care about you too, San", Brittany replied tenderly, "And that's why we have to do this. I want to know that you are safe. I can protect you." Brittany smiled. "I won't let him hurt us, S."

Santana knew it was no use fighting as she felt her heart melt. Brittany wanted to help her and, even though she knew it was dangerous, Santana needed her best friend. She nodded and the blonde jumped at her, wrapping her arms around her in a big hug.

"Okay then, we better get some sleep", Santana said, "We need to go to my place early so maybe my father will still be in bed."

Brittany grabbed her best friend's hand and pulled her upstairs, where they flopped onto the bed. Santana lay her head on the blonde's chest and they both quickly drifted off to sleep.

xXx

Mr Lopez stumbled in the front door. He crashed into the living room, expecting to find his daughter sitting waiting for him. He looked around the empty room, wondering if the drink was playing tricks on him. He dropped onto the couch and took a few moments to allow his head to stop pounding.

After a few minutes, the throbbing stopped and he stood up slowly.

"SANTANA?" he yelled. He was greeted by silence. He felt the anger begin to boil up inside of him. He charged out the sitting room door and up the stairs. He burst into his daughter's room, again expecting her to be sitting there waiting for him. He let out a roar of rage and began tearing the room apart.

Where was that bitch?


	7. Chapter 7

**Update!Hope you enjoy this chapter! ****A few more reviews and I'll update again! Thanks for reading! :D**

**Chapter 7**

"Are you ready San?" Brittany asked, peeking around the bedroom door. Santana was standing in front of the mirror, inspecting the dark bruises on her abdomen. She whirled around when she heard Brittany's voice and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. She nodded silently and pulled on her jumper. She approached Brittany and, putting her hands on the blonde's shoulders, looked straight into her eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Santana asked doubtfully.

"Of course San. I want to help you." Brittany smiled sadly at her best friend. "I want to keep you safe." Santana felt a tear run down her face as she pulled the blonde into a hug.

She took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. "Okay, let's go."

xXx

10 minutes later, the girls pulled up outside Santana's house. The Latina froze as she noticed her father's car parked in the driveway. She turned to Brittany and asked one last time. "Are you sure?" Brittany nodded and both girls slowly got out of the car and walked to the front door. They opened it silently and stepped inside.

"Okay, here goes" Santana breathed.

They headed for the stairs and made their way quietly to Santana's bedroom. They opened the door and gasped as they nearly fell over a huge heap on the floor. It was Mr Lopez. Santana nudged him gently with her foot but he didn't stir. He had been drinking a lot, then. Santana had been in this situation before and she knew that they only had a short amount of time before he came around.

The two girls frantically began opening drawers and flinging all of Santana's belongings into bags. They moved swiftly and silently and soon they had packed everything away. Then they began bringing the bags downstairs and putting them into the car. Mr Lopez had begun to stir and Santana knew that they were running out of time. She sprinted back upstairs to retrieve the last bag and stared in horror as she saw her father getting slowly up to his feet. He turned around and spotted his daughter.

"You." He said simply. He smirked at the look of pure terror on the girl's face. He stepped slowly towards her, backing her into a corner. He could see that she was trembling and tears had formed in her brown eyes. She continued to retreat until she felt the hard wall at her back. This was it. He had vowed that he would kill her and there was no doubt in her mind that he would. He stood close to her and Santana could smell the alcohol off his breath. She began to sob as he grabbed her wrist tightly.

"You killed her," he whispered, "And now, I'll kill you." He punched her hard in the gut, knocking the breath out of her. Then he grabbed her around the neck and pinned her to the wall, blocking her windpipe. She began to struggle, gasping for breath as his grip tightened. This was it, she thought, her life was over. As her vision began to blur, she saw a flash of blonde hair and her father went down, releasing her as he did so. She collapsed to the floor, coughing and spluttering. She looked over to her father, who was lying face down on the floor, out cold.

"Santana!" Brittany exclaimed, dropping the now broken lamp she was holding and pulling her best friend into a hug. "Santana, come on! We have to get out of here!"

Brittany put her arm around the brunette, who was sobbing uncontrollably, and pulled her up, supporting her. They stepped around the body on the floor and made their way to the door. Santana suddenly stopped and pulled out her cellphone.

"I have to call an ambulance!" she exclaimed, as she punched in the numbers. He may have just tried to kill her, but he was still her father. When she hung up, they left the house, deciding it best not to stick around waiting for him to wake up.

They flopped into the car and Santana broke down. Sobs racked her body, which was weak from all the physical and emotional pain she had suffered, not only over the past few days, but her whole life. All Brittany could do was hold her and tell her it was going to be alright, even though she knew it wouldn't. Santana had come close to being killed this time and she knew that Mr Lopez would be out for revenge. She shuddered as she contemplated what was more than likely to come.

She quickly shook these thoughts from her mind. Her best friend was still crying and all that mattered to Brittany was keeping her safe. She stroked her hair comfortingly until the Latina had cried herself to sleep. Then, she put her foot on the gas and headed for home. In the silence, she thought about what had just happened. Santana had nearly died, at the hands of her own father. What would have happened if Brittany had walked in even a minute later? It didn't bear thinking about. All that mattered was that her best friend was alive and safe. For now.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for all reviews! Another 6 or 7 and there will hopefully be another update! :D Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8**

Brittany pulled the car into her driveway. She turned off the engine and hopped out of the car. She opened the passenger door and looked down lovingly at her best friend. She was still in a deep sleep and looked so peaceful. The blonde smiled sadly and, sliding her hands gently under the sleeping Latina, lifted her slowly out of the car. She closed the door with her foot and approached the house. Squeezing through the door, she traipsed up the stairs, almost stumbling from the extra weight of Santana in her arms.

She reached the top of the stairs and kicked open her bedroom door. She lay the brunette on the bed and noticed her beginning to wake up.

"Britt?" Santana murmured, sleepily. There was a slightly worried tone to her voice as she searched the room, bleary eyed for the blonde. She spotted her out of the corner of her eye and gave her a small smile. Brittany sat down hurriedly on the bed next to her and returned the smile with one of her own.

Santana sat up slowly and looked around the room. Brittany's room. She strained her mind, trying to remember what had happened but her memory was blurry. She remembered going home and packing her belongings. She recalled her father waking up and coming straight towards her, but that was it. Her mind had shut down after that.

"B what…" Santana began, but Brittany cut her short.

"He tried to kill you" the blonde murmured quietly. "I came upstairs and he had you pinned to the wall. I grabbed the nearest object, a lamp I think, and hit him. I didn't mean to!" she began to sob, "But he was hurting you, Santana! I don't know what I'd do without you!" Brittany broke down, letting the tears soak her bed covers. Santana's heart broke as she saw her friend so hurt. She wrapped her arms around the blonde and just held her. She too began to cry and the two girls just sat there, distraught on the bed.

xXx

3 hours later, Brittany and Santana were curled up on the couch, watching another Disney movie. Santana's head lay on Brittany's shoulder and the blonde had her arms wrapped tightly around her friend's waist, keeping her safe. The movie ended and Brittany turned to the small Latina curled up beside her. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a loud ringing. She looked around and saw Santana's phone light up. The brunette picked it up and Brittany saw a worried look cross her face.

"Hello?" It came out as a question but Santana already knew who was on the phone.

"_Santana…" _Her mother said softly down the line. She sounded upset, but Santana wasn't too concerned because she knew it was forced. "_Santana I'm at the hospital. It's your dad." _She paused, waiting for a reaction, but got none so continued. "_He's been hurt. He's sleeping now. The doctors said he suffered a minor concussion but should be okay…"_ Mrs Lopez sniffed miserably.

"Oh" was all Santana could manage. She didn't particularly feel the need to spill her guts to her mother and wasn't about to confess that it had been Brittany that had caused the injury.

"_I don't know what happened!" _her mother wailed, "_I just came home and found him on the floor. Before I knew it, the ambulance was there." _There was a slight pause. "_Where are you honey?"_

"I'm at Brittany's. And I'm staying here." Santana said firmly. She could hear her mother take a deep breath before answering.

"_Santana could you come to the hospital? We need to talk about this."_

"There's nothing to talk about, Mom. Britt loves me, so I'm staying. I need to feel safe right now, and this is the only place I can."

"_Please dear?" _her mother pleaded, "_I need you."_

She knew it was a bad idea but she didn't want to leave her mother down.

"Okay" she murmured, "I'll be there in a while."

The Latina hung up and dropped her phone on the couch. She turned to find Brittany staring at her. The brunette could see worry and fear in her blue eyes.

"San no," Brittany began, "you can't go."

"I have to B, my mother needs me…" Santana felt terrible. She knew this was going to end badly.

"But what if he wakes up, San? What if…what if he hurts you again?" Tears formed in the blonde's eyes and she fought hard to prevent them falling.

"It's ok Britt, I can take care of myself." She wasn't so sure that she could but she wanted to put her best friend's mind to rest. The brunette stood up and picked up her bag. She stopped and turned around as she reached the door. Brittany was still staring at her, silent tears running down her face. "I'm sorry" she muttered as she turned and left.

xXx

Mrs Lopez sat at her husband's bedside, head in her hands. Bruises still lingered on her face from her most recent beating. She looked at the man lying in the bed beside her. He had several stitches on his head and his eyes were tightly closed. Even when he was unconscious she was terrified of him. Secretly she hoped he would never wake up so that the nightmare would be over. She had always wanted a better life for her daughter. Every day she woke up with the same guilty feeling. She knew her daughter blamed her for her pain. For not protecting her. Mrs Lopez felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and snapped back to reality. She turned around and was met by familiar dark brown eyes. She stood up and gave her daughter a hug.

Mrs Lopez wasn't sure what reaction she was expecting from her daughter but it certainly wasn't this one. As she looked into Santana's eyes, she could see nothing. No fear, no anger, no emotion. She just stood staring blankly down at her father. Her mother gently guided her to a seat on the opposite side of the bed and then sat back down in the chair she had been occupying. She looked thoughtfully at her husband for a few moments. Santana decided it was best if she started.

"Why?" she said simply, looking intently at her mother, who hastily looked up.

"Why what?" she asked, confused. She wasn't quite sure what her daughter meant.

"Why didn't you do something? To stop him. All these years you just stood by and watched it happen. You still do." Santana felt anger begin to seep up from deep within her. Anger that she felt towards her mother, which she had managed to keep in for 10 years but that now threatened to spill over. She felt her heart begin to beat faster. She knew the answer to her question but she wanted to hear her mother's words.

"I…I'm scared," her mother started, "He's so…so strong and I don't…I just don't know how to stop him." She sniffed miserably. "He wasn't always like this you know?" She smiled sadly. "When you were younger, he would take you and your sister everywhere with him. He adored you. Both of you. Every Saturday you would beg him to get you an ice cream. He would refuse at first but his heart always melted when he saw your smile." Tears sprang into Mrs Lopez' eyes as she reminisced. "He…he couldn't handle it when she died. He turned to drink and violence. He blamed me for her death. I was driving so it was my fault. You were in the car too, so he thought that was good enough reason to take his anger out on you. His daughter had died and now he was stuck with his slut of a wife."

Santana saw tears running down her mother's face as she spoke about her pain. She looked at her mother and knew she couldn't blame her for being scared. This wasn't the man she had married, the man she loved. She was broken. Every ounce of his grief and anger had been taken out on them and Santana realised that they were both in the same situation. Both terrified and now knowing what to do. She desperately wanted to comfort her mother but she was still angry at her.

"But I'm your daughter! Aren't mothers supposed to do anything for their children?" Santana wailed, hot, angry tears running down her face. She knew it was a bad idea to come here. She hadn't wanted to confront her mother like this.

"I tried honey! When it first started, I would send you to your bedroom and lock you in. I wanted to keep you safe. But eventually his anger got too much and he would just knock the door down!" Mrs Lopez looked sorrowfully at her daughter. "Every time he went near you I would try to pull him off but he's just too strong! The beatings just got worse and worse and I didn't know what to do! I guess I just got into a habit of doing nothing…" she finished quietly.

Santana couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her own mother had just given up. Given up on herself, her daughter. She had given up on hope. She had just accepted that _this _was their life now. That they weren't meant to be happy, to be safe.

"But you-" Santana began, but gasped as she felt a vice-like grip on her already bruised wrist. She looked down and saw that her father had woken up and was holding tightly onto her. Suddenly all the anger that Santana had been feeling disappeared and was replaced with fear. Her father suddenly wrenched on her wrist and she felt bones snapping. She screamed in agony as she was drawn in close to her father. She started sobbing at the pain coursing through her body. She vaguely heard her mother call for a nurse but she was too blinded by pain to even care.

"You are going to pay for this, bitch!" her father growled and he threw her to the floor as a nurse entered and tried to restrain him. Santana lay in a heap on the floor, screaming in agony through her tears. Her wrist was aching and she felt a wav of nausea come over her as the pain intensified.

Suddenly she felt an arm around her shoulders and was pulled up. As she was being led out of the room she glanced back at her father, who was thrashing wildly about and yelling obscenities at the injured girl. She was taken out of the room before any more damage could be done.

An x-ray was taken of Santana's wrist and it was discovered that she had broken 3 bones. The doctors put it in a cast and told her she could leave.

"Come on Santana, lets go home" Mrs Lopez reached for her daughter's good hand, but she pulled away and stared at her incredulously. After all this, she expected her to go back home?

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Santana snarled and stalked off, leaving her mother at the hospital door, speechless. She took out her cellphone and thought about calling Brittany to come pick her up. She stared at the screen for a minute before putting it away. She knew where she wanted to go.


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay guys here's chapter 9! I hope everyone is enjoying the story! Thanks for all the reviews and keep them coming! Another couple and I'll update again! It's always nice to know that people are reading and enjoying, especially because its my first fic! :D Anyways hope you like this chapter! **

**Chapter 9**

Shit, Santana thought as she slumped to the ground. She was tired and ached all over. The pain that had started in her wrist had spread all around her body, making her feel ready to collapse. She had felt a wave of relief as her destination came into view.

The ground was cold and hard beneath her but she didn't mind. She needed to rest. She had walked from the hospital which was about 6 miles away, which wasn't easy to do with a severely broken wrist and physically drained body. She looked slowly at her familiar surroundings. The trees towered above her, giving her privacy and peace. Her safe haven.

She shut her mind off, relaxing in the quietness of the woods. She was sick of thinking, feeling. Birds sang around her and a weak breeze whistled through the trees. The forest was so peaceful. It always had been, for as long as she could remember. The peace, the serenity, was so different from her own life, her own feelings.

Santana put her head in her hands and began to cry.

xXx

It was 8 o' clock. Santana had left for the hospital 4 hours ago and there was still no word. It was almost dark now and Brittany was worried about her friend. Where was she? The blonde punched in the numbers and rang again. No answer. Again. She remembered the last time Santana hadn't answered her phone. She had been severely hurt. A wave of fear went through the blonde. She called again and listened in despair as the phone rang out again.

Hastily picking up her bag and keys, she headed for the car. She drove to the hospital and ran up to the reception desk.

"I'm looking for a Mr Carlos Lopez?" the blonde enquired hurriedly. The receptionist gave her the room number and she sprinted up the hall, not listening to the receptionist's calls of warning behind her.

She found the room and burst through the door. "Sant-" she began but stopped abruptly. Mr Lopez was lying on the bed in front of her, looking surprised at the sudden outburst. There was no nurses, no Mrs Lopez and no Santana. Mr Lopez' look of surprise soon turned to one of anger and maliciousness as he realised who had just walked in.

"Hello" he sneered nastily at the blonde in front of him. He could see a hint of fear in her eyes. "Looking for your whore of a girlfriend?" He laughed meanly at the end of his sentence. Waiting for a reaction.

Brittany felt anger flare up inside of her. She knew he was talking about Santana. How could he say that about his own daughter?

"She's not a whore" Brittany replied quietly. She couldn't bare anyone insulting her best friend, even if it was her psychopathic father.

He let out another dry laugh. "Okay, _slut _then!" He snarled. "She's not here anyway. I set her straight and she ran away. Scared as usual." Venom dripped from his words.

Brittany was shocked. This was the first time she had spoken to Mr Lopez and she was horrified. He was so angry and he was speaking about his own daughter as if she was nothing more than a dog. His words stung Brittany, even though what he was saying wasn't about her.

"What did you do? Where is she?" she demanded. She was very worried now. What did he mean by "I set her straight"?

"She came in here, acting like she owned the place! She needed to be taught a lesson, so I taught it to her! Lets just say she got the message loud and clear!" Mr Lopez cried triumphantly. A malicious smile spread across his face as he finished. As an afterthought he added, "Oh and it looks like you won't be getting any for a long time." He chuckled out loud at this and Brittany burst into tears. How could he be so horrible? She turned and fled the room, leaving him howling manically with laughter behind her.

xXx

Brittany made it to the car and collapsed in tears in the front seat. She was worried and scared. She still hadn't heard from Santana and it was now approaching 10 o' clock. Maybe she had gone home? Brittany decided it was worth a try. She started up the car and headed for Santana's house.

As she pulled up, she saw that Santana's car was parked in the driveway. A wave of relief passed over her and a smile spread across her face. She approached the front door and knocked, opening her arms wide, preparing to jump into her best friend's arms.

The door opened slowly and Brittany immediately dropped her arms, smile disappearing from her face. Mrs Lopez stood in front of her, tears running down her face, large bags under her eyes and a bottle of vodka in her hand. She looked dazed and confused as she stared at the blonde in front of her.

"Uh Mrs Lopez?" Brittany began, as the Latina stared vacantly at her, "I'm Brittany, Santana's friend. Is she here?" She felt as though she was talking to herself. Mrs Lopez still hadn't moved, not even a blink. The blonde waved her hand sheepishly in front of the woman's face, trying to bring her back to reality.

Suddenly, the older woman's eyes focused and she blinked a few times. She shook her head and muttered "No" before slamming the door in the blonde's face. Brittany was caught off guard and stumbled backwards. That was strange, she thought. Right now that didn't matter though. She still hadn't found Santana, but it was getting late. She would just have to see if she showed up the next day.

xXx

The brunette woke with a jolt. She looked around and suddenly remembered where she was. She was lying in an uncomfortable position against a tree. She must have been asleep for a while because it was now dark. She moved to pull herself up, but let out a sharp gasp and dropped back to the ground as a blinding pain shot up her arm. Tears blurred her vision as she rocked back and forth, trying to relieve the agony.

Eventually the pain subsided to a light throbbing and she picked up her phone. "SHIT" she exclaimed. The screen read '24 missed calls – BrittBritt'. She looked at the time, 1:45. Too late to call her. Using the tree to support her, she pulled herself up. Her muscles ached from the position she had been lying in and she stretched gingerly. She slowly made her way to the edge of the woods and headed towards her house, which was only a few minutes away.

She arrived at her front gate shortly afterwards. The house was dark and uninviting and Santana shivered as memories came flooding back to her. She couldn't handle this right now. Seeing her car parked in the driveway, she pulled open the door and sat behind the steering wheel.

The Latina pulled up 5 minutes later outside Brittany's house. She thought about going in but swiftly decided against it, not wishing to worry the blonde any more. Besides, it was almost 3 a.m. Santana turned off the engine and crept slowly into the back seat, curling up in a tight ball. She relaxed her muscles and let out a soft sigh as darkness took over her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks everybody for the reviews! Hope you are all still enjoying the story! 5 more reviews and I'll update again! It means a lot that people are reading and enjoying!**** I'm thinking of bringing this story to an end soon so I'd like to start writing another 1 so any ideas for a story would be greatly appreciated! Anyways here's chapter 10! **

**Chapter 10**

Brittany smacked the alarm clock that was ringing loudly next to her, causing it to crash to the floor, batteries flying across the room. She opened her eyes slowly and stared sleepily at the ceiling for a few minutes. She suddenly remembered the previous day's events and reached blindly for her phone. She was sure she had brought it to bed with her. Finding it on the other side of the bed, under Lord Tubbington, her cat, she flipped it open and squealed in delight at the screen. It read "1 New Message – San". She opened it and stared at the one word written on the screen. "_Outside"_, was all it said.

Flinging the bedclothes off her, subsequently sending Lord Tubbington flying to the floor, she jumped out of the bed and scrambled over to her closet. She pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top and bolted out of her bedroom and down the stairs.

Throwing open the front door, she beamed as she saw Santana, leaning against her car. Looking beautiful as ever, but something was off. She smiled widely as the blonde rushed towards her. It swiftly turned to a frown though, as she went to throw herself into the Latina's arms.

"Woah woah Britt!" she laughed, lifting up her broken hand, stopping the blonde abruptly in her tracks. Brittany's face fell and worry clouded her eyes.

"Oh San what happened?" she cried, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at Santana's injured arm. She knew the answer before she had finished the question. Only one thing could have happened to her. It had become all too familiar to both girls.

"My Dad" Santana shrugged, smiling sadly, as if it was the most natural response in the world. "Look Britt, can we just go inside so I can get changed and we can go to school?" Brittany nodded and they re-entered the house, heading into the spare room that had been converted into Santana's bedroom.

Brittany sat on the bed and stared at her best friend as she picked out some clothes and got changed. She had never noticed what great abs the Latina had. She found herself staring at them until the brunette shouted "Brittany! Quit staring and let's get going. We're gonna be late!" Santana laughed as Brittany shook herself out of her daze and got up off the bed. They headed downstairs, grabbed breakfast and left for school.

Brittany pulled up her car in the WMHS car park and turned to her best friend. She looked sadly at the Latina. She had bags under her eyes and light bruises still lingered on her face and arms. She looked worn. She picked up the brunette's hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "Let's go" she said quietly.

xXx

The day went slowly. Each class dragged for Brittany, as she waited desperately to see her best friend again. Finally the last bell rang and she ran to find the brunette, which she eventually did, at her locker.

"Hey San!" Brittany smiled warmly, but stopped abruptly when she saw the look on the other girl's face. "Honey what's wrong?" the blonde asked, rubbing Santana's arm comfortingly. The brunette looked at her friend fearfully.

"The hospital just rang" she began, "I-It's my dad, he's gone. The nurse came to check on him and his bed was empty. He just got up and left without anyone noticing, and now they can't find him". Santana blinked away the tears that had appeared in her eyes, but she couldn't prevent herself from trembling. Brittany pulled her into a soft hug. The brunette was terrified. Her father had gone missing, and was now on the loose hours after threatening to kill her.

Santana rested her head on Brittany's shoulder, not wanting to let her go. "I'll keep you safe" the blonde whispered into her ear, quickly tightening the hug, and then breaking away. She took the brunette's hand, and led her out the door and back to the car.

xXx

The full moon cast an eerie glow on the street as a man stood silently in the darkness. The fresh breeze had relieved his headache and his vision was less blurry now, as he stared at the house across the street from where he was standing. A light glowed from within one of the downstairs windows, illuminating the two figures curled up on the couch together. One blonde, one brunette. _His brunette._

Anger surged from within him. He would get her back, and he would teach her a lesson. A proper lesson this time. One she wouldn't forget. A sly smile crept onto the man's face as he disappeared back into the shadows.

xXx

'The Little Mermaid' end credits showed up on screen and Santana turned to her best friend, to find that she was fast asleep. The brunette sat admiring her. She was so brave, sticking by Santana through all of this. But the brunette feared for her best friend. She knew what her father was capable of. He would stop at nothing to hurt her, she was sure of that, and she didn't want to risk Brittany getting hurt too.

At that moment, the blonde stirred and opened her eyes wearily. She spotted Santana and gave her a slight smile before wordlessly getting up and pulling Santana up with her. They reached the top of the stairs and entered Santana's room, Brittany shutting the door behind them. Santana turned to speak, but was suddenly pinned to the wall, Brittany's lips attached to hers. The kiss was passionate and after what seemed like ages, they needed to break apart for air.

"Britt?" Santana began, gasping for air, "What was that?". She had not been expecting _that_. Her mind was still reeling as the blonde gave a small smile.

"I don't know" she murmured in response, looking down at the floor in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, San. I don't know what came over-" but she never got to finish the sentence because all of a sudden, they were on the bed, lips attached again in a heated kiss.

"It's fine," Santana breathed, breaking away momentarily, "You're a great kisser". She smiled widely before pulling Brittany towards her again.

**Sexy times coming up? Maybe ,maybe not! Guess you're just gonna have to wait and see! :-P**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks again for all reviews please keep them coming! Here's another update! Enjoy! **

**Chapter 11**

Santana sat at the end of the bed, staring intently at the wall in front of her. Mascara stained her face, tears streaming from her eyes. She was getting cold, due to her top lying on the floor across the room. Quiet sobs escaped the Latina as Brittany looked fearfully at her. She was confused, she thought the brunette had been having fun.

…

_They sank back on the bed, lips connected and hands roaming. The kiss was fiery and passionate, almost as if the Latina had wanted to do it for a long time. Brittany loved the feeling of Santana's perfect body pushing up against her. The blonde __ached for more contact and began pulling at the other girl's top, pulling it over her head and throwing it blindly across the room. _

_She caressed the brunette's waist with on hand and with the other, began tugging at the waistband of the other girl's shorts. Suddenly Santana pulled away, tears in her eyes, shaking her head._

…

And so, here they were, Santana sitting at the end of the bed, sobbing her heart out, and Brittany sitting beside her, confused and hurt.

"San?" Brittany said tentatively. The brunette just continued to stare at the wall, evidently not even hearing the blonde call out to her. She seemed to be in her own world, lost in her own mind somewhere. The sobs had subsided now but silent tears still ran down her face. "San?" Brittany tried again, but again got no reaction.

"_Santana!"_Brittany said it slightly louder and reached towards the brunette, placing a comforting hand on her bare shoulder. The Latina flinched, suddenly brought out of her daze, and jumped up, backing quickly away from the blonde and cowering against the wall. The sobs started up again as the Latina sank to the floor, trembling.

Brittany rose off the bed and approached Santana cautiously. She hadn't expected to find herself in this situation after the way the rest of the evening had gone. Holding hands in school, cuddling on the couch and then the making out. But now suddenly, the brunette was hunched in a corner, sobbing uncontrollably and wouldn't even let Brittany touch her.

Kneeling down in front of her, Brittany looked into Santana's eyes, seeing hurt and fear, two things that she had seen a lot of in Santana recently. The Latina looked back at the blonde's ocean blue eyes and immediately felt calmer, managing to stifle her sobs. Brittany reached towards her again, and this time she let her touch her.

"Santana I'm so sorry!" Brittany began, "I thought you wanted it. I thought- I thought you wanted me." Brittany finished quietly. How could she have been so stupid? To think that anyone would want _her_. Especially someone as amazing and sweet and kind and gorgeous and-

"I do want you Britt" Santana spoke up suddenly, blushing as Brittany's face lit up. "I just- I can't do this. Not now. It's- It's not you, it's _him._" Fresh tears began to fall from her eyes and Brittany pulled her into a tight hug, whispering comforting words into Santana's ear and stroking her dark hair softly. "I'll never be free" the brunette whimpered. Brittany's heart broke as she held her best friend.

"I'm so sorry" the blonde repeated, "I shouldn't have done that. It was stupid and selfish and I'm just really sorry!" Brittany felt tears coming to her own eyes then. The girls looked at each other, half naked and freezing on the bedroom floor, and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Come on B, let's just forget about it okay? I shouldn't have freaked out like that. Just bad memories I guess" Santana gave a weak smile and wiped the tears off her face. She couldn't deal with this right now. _I'm so selfish, _she thought to herself, _taking this out on Brittany. All she wanted to do was help and then I go and mess up again. Just because my dad is a bastard, doesn't mean Brittany should have to deal with it too. I can't cope myself so what can I expect of her. She so innocent, I don't want her to get hurt…_

"San did you hear me?" Brittany's voice broke through Santana's thoughts.

"I- um yeah what?" Santana stuttered.

"I said let's go to bed. All this crying and making out is making me tired." The blonde giggled at the last part and, grabbing the Latina's hand, pulled her up and they flopped back onto the bed. Once under the covers, Brittany put her hands protectively around the Latina's waist and pulled her in closer. Santana just smiled to herself as she felt darkness envelope her.

xXx

Santana got out of the car and stared at the house in front of her. A mixture of emotions ran through her. Fear, anger, hurt but mostly determination. She was going to do this.

"You okay?" Brittany asked, emerging from the other side of the car.

Santana turned and smiled, "Yeah, come on, let's go." Grabbing Brittany's hand, the two girls slowly made their way to the front door. "I have the key here somewhere" She murmured, searching through her bag. "Got it!"

Santana pushed the key into the lock and turned it. The door swung open to reveal a dark, quiet house. Her mother's car was outside, which meant she had to be here. That just made the silence even more unnerving. The two crept through to the kitchen. It was empty. The girls stopped for a moment and heard a muffled noise coming from the sitting room next door. Pushing the door open, they stepped into the room.

Mrs Lopez sat on the couch, wine glass in hand, sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't even notice the girls come in.

"Mom?" Santana spoke in a soft tone, worried about her mother. Mrs Lopez looked up, startled at the sudden intrusion. Santana gasped as she saw her mother's face. One eye was surrounded by a dark bruise, there were small gashes on her cheek and blood was dripping from a wound on her temple. The older Latina cried harder when she saw her daughter, who knelt down beside her, pulling her mother into a loving embrace, for the first time in a long time.

"Oh Mom I'm so sorry! I should have been here to protect you!" Santana also began to cry, knowing what it felt like to be in her mother's position. She felt guilt wash over her as she held her mother's weak body, letting her tears soak her shoulder. _This is all my fault, _she thought bitterly.

Mrs Lopez eventually pulled away, wiping the tears and mascara off her face clumsily. She winced as her hand brushed her bruises. Santana stood up and took hold of her mother's hand, trying to pull her up with her, but she refused to move. Her mother looked at her strangely.

"Mom come on! We're going to the hospital first to get you sorted out and then we're going to the police. This ends now." Santana put as much force into her words as she could, trying to make her sound braver than she felt. Mrs Lopez' eyes widened in fear and she began shaking her head wildly, seemingly not being able to form any words.

"Are you serious?" Santana could feel rage building inside her. Her father had done this to her _again, _and she still wouldn't do anything. "Mom we have to! We can't let him do this to you anymore!" She gestured to the dark bruises on her mother's face with her own broken arm. "This has been going on way too long!" Santana's voice softened at the look of pain and terror in her mother's eyes. She knelt down next to her again, taking her mother's hand.

"It isn't right, Mom. We can't let him get away with this again." Santana spoke softly as tears began to slowly roll down her face. "I need you to help me. I can't do this on my own." Santana pleaded with her mother, who just sat there speechless. The younger Latina rubbed her mother's hand comfortingly. She needed to do this. They had to tell someone.

Brittany stood in silence by the wall, taking in the scene in front of her. Santana kneeling on the ground next to her mother, holding her hand. Ms Lopez looked awful, with her face covered in blood and bruises. The blonde admired Santana's courage, but from where she was standing, it seemed this courage wasn't shared by her mother, who had begun shaking her head again.

"Santana I-I can't!" Mrs Lopez mumbled, managing to catch her breath finally, "He's my husband! I love him!" Santana couldn't understand. After all these years of beatings and intimidation, her mother still wouldn't give up on her husband. How could she still love him after all he'd done?

"Wha…? I… Why?" Santana finally spluttered.

"He's my husband Santana! And your father! How could you do that to your own father?" Mrs Lopez seemed genuinely convinced.

"How could I do that?" Santana scoffed, "Gee I dunno Mom! Maybe the same way he's done all this to _his own daughter _the past eight years! Maybe because he's a bastard who doesn't know the meaning of the word 'love' and deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his sorry excuse for a life!" Santana yelled, both hurt and anger showing in her eyes, which were now full of tears. Mrs Lopez just shook her head again.

"I can't! This isn't the man I loved! But he's there somewhere! We need to give him a chance! I can-"

"A chance?" Santana cut in, disbelief covering her face, "He's had loads of chances! Each time this happens is another chance for him! He can't do this anymore!"

"I'm sorry! I'm not ready to give up!" Mrs Lopez said defiantly, "I was thinking of suggesting that he go for counselling. To help with his anger and grief. If I get him when he's sober he might listen."

Santana let out a short humourless laugh. "Do you know who we're talking about? Sober isn't gonna make any difference! He'll come home and as soon as you open your mouth, there'll be a fist in your face!" She knew it was pointless to argue. Her mother wasn't ready to go to the police. "For me?"

Mrs Lopez opened her mouth to speak but shut it again suddenly, not coming up with anything to say. That was Santana's answer. Hurt and anger powered through her as it hit her.

"Well wow, it's always nice for a girl to know her parents don't love her!" Santana kept her voice just above a whisper as what was left of her heart broke. Grabbing Brittany's hand, she stormed out, leaving her mother on the couch, speechless.


	12. Chapter 12

**So Chapter 12! Wow honestly I can't believe the reception this story has gotten! Thanks everybody for the reviews and alerts and favourites it really means a lot! I hope to continue writing fics so any ideas would definitely be welcome! :D Anyway enjoy the chapter and review as always! **

**Ch.12**

Santana didn't know what this meant for her, but as she lay with her head in Brittany's lap, staring blankly at the wall in front of her, she wasn't sure if she could handle it anymore. All the years of beatings and intimidation had really taken their toll on the Latina and she was so tired. Tired of fighting, tired of feeling, tired of living.

Was this the end for her? With no family, she felt alone and scared. Even with Brittany there to comfort her, she wasn't sure it was enough for her. She needed a normal life. A normal family, with two parents that loved her for who she was instead of blaming her for something she couldn't prevent.

She had always believed that her mother loved her and wanted to protect her. But after tonight, after everything her mother said to her, she just couldn't believe that anymore. All Santana had ever done was try to protect her mother and then, when Santana needed her mom most, she had abandoned her, sacrificing her daughter for an angry, abusive scumbag. She felt so worthless.

The tears began to fall again. Nobody wanted her. Nobody needed her. She was just a worthless piece of shit, just like her father had always said. She wouldn't be missed if one day she 'accidentally' took an overdose of the painkillers she took for her broken wrist. That darn cast was just another reminder of how weak she was. Another reason to hate herself. The reasons were piling up. She had ruined her mother's life, her father's life and, most importantly, Brittany's life. Maybe it would be better for everyone if she just let go of it all.

She suddenly became aware of somebody stroking her hair, and looked up to see Brittany's face. She had forgotten the blonde was even there, she was so wrapped up in her own thoughts. Her ocean blue eyes were clouded with tears as she held her best friend. And then it dawned on Santana: She wasn't worthless. Brittany needed her. Brittany wanted her. She would care if Santana let go.

Santana sat up quickly, alarming Brittany. Suddenly she lunged at the blonde, taking her by surprise. She flung her good arm around the girl's neck, holding on for dear life. Brittany was the only person who was there for her through everything since they had met, she was the only one that cared about her.

Brittany was startled by Santana's sudden change in attitude. They had been sitting on her bed for half an hour in complete silence, neither having anything to say. The blonde was appalled at how her mother had treated her. Santana had done everything she could to help and protect her mother and was shot down. The tension in the room had been unbearable and Brittany's was glad to get out of there. She was so used to her close and loving family, that Mrs Lopez and Santana's argument had really shocked her.

But now, here was Santana, holding tightly onto her, blabbering on about being sorry for being so selfish and thoughtless. Brittany's head was swimming as she tried to figure out what exactly Santana was on about. From what she had seen, Santana was being anything but selfish, trying to comfort and protect her mother. The brunette was really making no sense.

Santana pulled away eventually and composed herself. She struggled to find the right words to say to the blonde as they sat looking into each other's eyes. Brittany could tell there was something the Latina needed to say, so she rubbed her arm comfortingly to help her.

And that was when Santana felt it. The tingles through her body, the butterflies in her stomach. She had never felt like this before, but now, here with Brittany, it felt right.

"Britt I-" Santana was cut off by a loud crash coming from downstairs. "What the fuck was that?" Santana cried, whirling around instinctively and looking towards the door, terror pulsing through her. She felt herself begin to shake as she got off the bed and opened the door.

"San, wait! Where are you going?" Brittany was beginning to panic. She, of course, had heard the noise as well. It sounded like it was coming from downstairs and she was more than happy to stay upstairs, hoping that whatever it was would go away eventually, although she had the feeling _whoever _it was, wasn't going to leave without coming upstairs. She wanted to take her chances though. "S, you can't go out there! What if it's, like, a serial killer or something?" Her eyes widened in fear as this thought struck her. They were two young teenage girls alone in a house with a potential serial killer. The odds were against them.

"I'll be fine Britt! You coming?" Santana asked, stepping out the door. Brittany jumped off the bed and scurried after her. Once in the hall, the two girls moved silently towards the stairs, fear coursing through them. They made it to the top of the stairs and Santana looked into the darkness below, where there was no sign of movement. "Come on" the Latina whispered, as she made her way slowly down the stairs, keeping her eyes open for movement around her.

Brittany shivered slightly as she descended the stairs, grabbing onto her best friend's hand as she trembled in fear and anticipation. She wished she were curled up in bed, with her favourite stuffed duck, dreaming about unicorns and rainbows, instead of tip-toeing around in the dark, not knowing if they were in danger or not.

As they reached the sitting room door, Santana put a finger to her lips to quieten Brittany and slowly pushed open the door. She peeked her head around and gasped silently. Pulling out of the room, she grabbed Brittany's hand and ran for the front door, fumbling around in the dark, trying to find the keys on the hook on the wall. Brittany was really panicking now.

"San! San what is it?" Brittany whispered urgently, knowing it wasn't a good idea to talk any louder, "Santana, what's going on?"

"It's him! It's my dad!" Santana couldn't keep her voice low this time as the panic really started to set in. _We have to get out of here! _Santana's mind was racing, "Shit! Where are the fucking keys!"

"Looking for these?" a voice said from behind them. Santana whirled around and slammed her back against the door, wanting to stay as far away from the voice as possible. Mr Lopez stood in the doorway to the sitting room, smiling maliciously, holding a crowbar in one hand and dangling a pair of keys in the other.

Santana grabbed Brittany's hand again as they stood, defenceless in the hallway. Her breathing became fast and shallow as panic set in and all she could hear was the pounding of her own heartbeat. She looked at the blonde who was standing next to her, trembling from head to foot, and squeezed her hand slightly. Then and there, Santana vowed not to let her father anywhere near Brittany, even if it killed her.

**So it would like totally make my life if you would review! :) Please, please, PLEASE? I just love reviews so if you sould it would be great! :D Thanks! More Reviews means faster update! :D Thanks again! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Wow chapter 13 and people are still reading! Haha thanks to everyone for the reviews and all that jazz! :P Hope everyone enjoys this chapter anyway! :D**

**Chapter 13**

Mr Lopez looked at the two girls in front of him. They were huddled together against the front door, holding each other's hand and trembling from head to foot. This brought an evil smile to his face. He still had the power. His daughter may have liked acting tough but she was really just a weak child. He began to approach them slowly and noticed them press further into the door and into each other. His eyes flickered to Santana's broken arm and his smile widened, admiring his handiwork.

"Well that cast is certainly an improvement, don't you think?" he asked, sniggering at the horrified look on his daughter's face, "I could get used to you wearing one all the time." Santana recognised this as a threat and pushed herself further into the door, desperately trying, and failing, to put more distance between her tired body and her father. She tried her best to glare at him but she was just too terrified. All she wanted to do was turn and run but she knew it was too late now. He had them.

"Well girls," he continued, "We're going to have a bit of fun tonight." He stepped further towards them and looked directly at Brittany. "Well aren't you pretty?" he asked, more to himself than the girls, "It's a pity to waste such a face with a whore like her," he gestured violently to Santana, who could feel anger bubbling inside her, "But maybe I could fix that." Mr Lopez raised his eyebrows suggestively and reached out to the blonde, putting a hand on her trembling arm. Santana jumped into action immediately, pulling Brittany behind her and fixing an angry stare on her father.

"Don't you dare touch her, you filthy bastard!" Santana snarled, holding Brittany's hand protectively behind her back. Her father just grinned, "I'll do whatever I want!" he replied, grabbing hold of Santana's broken arm, causing her to scream in agony. When he let her go, she took a few deep breaths and turning back to her father, she spoke again, this time softer and quieter, looking straight into her father's eyes, "Please _papi_, you can do whatever you want to me! Just please, don't hurt her!" Santana could have sworn she saw a flicker of pity in her father's eyes as Brittany let out a quiet sob, but it was gone just as quickly as it had arrived and was quickly replaced with malice again.

"Anything I want eh? Well thanks for the permission _dear_, but I was planning on doing that anyway." Mr Lopez sneered and, without warning, he swung his fist wildly, catching Santana's face and sending her crashing to the floor. Brittany gasped and ran to Santana's side as the Latina desperately tried to catch her breath. "Get in there!" Mr Lopez ordered, gesturing to the sitting room and kicking Santana hard in the gut for good measure. Brittany pulled the brunette up slowly and, supporting her under her arm, led her into the sitting room. Santana was finding it hard to walk or think straight as she desperately tried to refill her lungs with air.

The two girls slumped onto the couch and Mr Lopez towered over them, laughing silently.

"Well ladies," he began, "I have some things I need to take care of so I hope you don't mind if I lock you in here, ok? Best not try escape either because I'm pretty sure it won't end well for either of you." He grinned maniacally at this and then, leaning down, spoke directly to his daughter, "If you try anything _perra_, I _will _hurt her." He glanced towards Brittany and then walked out the door, shutting and locking it behind him. The girls heard the front door slam and Brittany turned to Santana.

The Latina was staring straight ahead, trembling uncontrollably, with silent tears falling down her face. Brittany pulled her into a tight hug, wanting to console the brunette.

"This is it, B!" Santana sobbed, "It's over! He-He's gonna kill me!" She sobbed even harder into her best friend's shoulder, the realisation hitting her that this could indeed be the end. He had always threatened to kill her and now he had her exactly where he wanted her. With the threat of hurting Brittany, he could get her to do whatever he wanted. Then a thought struck her. "Wait B," she sat up quickly, looking at the blonde, "Where is your mom?" Brittany looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Oh she's staying with my granny for the week because she's sick. Why?" Brittany shook her head, slightly confused.

"We have to call her Britt! We need her to come home!" Santana almost shouted, exasperated. This was their only shot. Her face fell though as the blonde began to shake her head again.

"Mom doesn't have a mobile phone. She took mine so she could contact us, which means we don't have a phone now, except for the house one."

"Shit!" Santana swore loudly. The house phone was in the hall, by the front door, and they were most definitely stuck in the sitting room. The Latina could feel the tears coming again as she realised that their case was hopeless. They were locked in an empty house, with no way of contacting anyone and nobody knowing they were there.

xXx

The front door slammed and Mrs Lopez jumped off the seat. Her husband came hurtling through the door and, without a word, stalked up to her and hit her, hard. She fell in a heap on the ground and he hit her again, and again, and again, until all she could taste was her own blood and couldn't even open her eyes. She could hear her husband rummaging around in the kitchen, looking for something, but he seemed a million miles away.

The last thing she remembered was her hands and feet being bound roughly by some sort of rope, before she drifted off into the blackness.

**Reviews are amazing! :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**Another chapter! :D Thanks for all the reviews! I know I said I'd be bringing this story to an end soon but I think I have an idea to make it longer so we'll just see how that goes! :P Anywho, for now enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter 14**

It was beginning to get bright outside now, she noticed. Birds were starting to sing and normal people, in normal houses began their daily routine. She sighed deeply. This wasn't a normal house. She looked down at the head of blonde hair in her lap and a shiver of fear went through her. She looked so peaceful.

Santana hadn't slept at all. It had to be approaching 6a.m. and the tiredness was really starting to set in. Brittany had been asleep for the best part of 5 hours, but the Latina couldn't bring herself to shut her eyes, in case her father came back. So far though, he hadn't, and Santana didn't know when he would, or where he even was.

She ran a hand through her dark hair and, putting Brittany's head gently on the couch, got up to stretch her legs. She looked around the sitting room of Brittany's house. It had been such a safe place for the past few weeks, but now, she just needed to get out. She tried the door handle cautiously. It didn't budge. She tried all the windows too, but found them all to be locked. They really were trapped. In despair, she went back to the door and began twisting and pulling the handle furiously. Completely forgetting that Brittany was asleep, she began pounding on the door and screaming, hoping, praying that someone would hear her.

She felt tears coming to her eyes as she felt a soft arm around her, pulling her away from the door and onto the floor. She began to sob into the blonde's shoulder, shaking uncontrollably. "I'm so sorry B!" she wailed, and it took all Brittany had not to cry too.

xXx

Santana's eyes shot open at the sound of the front door slamming. Looking around her quickly, she noticed that Brittany was asleep beside her on the couch. Reaching over, she put a hand on her friend's shoulder and shook her softly.

"Britt, come on wake up. He's back." Brittany opened her eyes slowly and smiled gently at the other girl, before her words sank in and she shot up, fear replacing the contentment that was previously showing on her face. The two girls huddled closely together as they heard the key in the lock and the door swung open, revealing Mr Lopez, with a big grin on his face.

"Rise and shine girls!" he said in a fake sing song voice. Approaching the couch, he bent over Santana. He reached for her hand but she quickly retracted it, shooting him an icy glare. He just smirked. "You and I are going on a little trip". Santana's eyes widened in confusion.

"A trip?" she asked, bewilderment clouding her face.

An evil smile appeared on Mr Lopez' face, "It's time we sorted you out," was all he said, before grabbing his daughter roughly by her arm and pulling her off the couch. Santana winced at the sudden vice-like grip on her arm and felt herself being ripped from Brittany's grasp.

"Wait!" Brittany yelled, jumping up from the couch, "Where are you-" The blonde was cut off mid-sentence as Mr Lopez reached in to the waistband of his pants with his free hand and pulled out a small handgun. Brittany gasped and took a step back as the gun was pointed straight at her. Mr Lopez began backing towards the door, keeping a firm grip on his daughter's arm and keeping the gun pointed at Brittany.

"Let go of her!" the blonde shrieked, finally regaining the ability to speak. Mr Lopez fired a threatening shot into the wall beside Brittany, succeeding in quieting her again. Santana took this moment to strike. Twisting around sharply, she managed to kick her father hard in the shin. As he flinched, she batted the gun out of his hand and delivered a hard kick to his groin.

"RUN!" she bellowed, grabbing Brittany's hand, as her father fell to the ground, clutching the source of his pain. Taking one last look at her father, Santana raced towards the front door and out into the garden, dragging Brittany behind her.

The girls moved into a full sprint, as they raced onto the street, hearing Mr Lopez yell out obscenities after them. As they pelted down the street, Santana turned her head and saw her father emerging slowly from the house, gun in hand. The girls pushed themselves to go faster, occasionally looking back to see where Mr Lopez was.

"I think…we lost…him!" Santana panted, as they slid down a side alley. The two girls slumped against the wall, gasping for air. They looked at each other for a moment and came up with a silent plan. Turning swiftly, they ran back onto the street and resumed sprinting, not bothering to check if their pursuer was anywhere in site. Santana knew where she was going as Brittany had explained many times where her grandmother lived, while trying to persuade Santana that she had a pet unicorn that she simply had to see.

When she turned around to make sure that the gate she was standing beside, was indeed that of Brittany's grandmother's house, she realised, with horror that the blonde was no longer beside her. She looked between the door and the empty street ahead of her. Her friend or help? She could always try to find Brittany after she had knocked on the door, right? But Brittany was her best friend. Her only friend. If there was a possibility that her father had her, there really was no competition.

Taking one last look at the door, she began to make her way back up the street.

"Brittany?" she called, looking down every alley. There was no sign of the blonde and Santana was really beginning to worry. Suddenly, an ear splitting scream broke the silence of the early morning street. Santana would know that voice anywhere. Breaking into a sprint again, she followed the noise.

As she turned a corner into a side alley, she was met with a sight that she never wished to see.

**So what did you think? :) Reviews would be great! Please and thank you! :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks to all of you who are still reading reviewing! A special shoutout anon****ythemouse whose reviews are amazing and really encourage me to keep writing! :D Enjoy this chapter and please review! **

**Chapter 15**

Santana stopped in her tracks and stared in horror at the scene in front of her. This couldn't be happening. She felt her body beginning to shake. She wasn't sure if it was from fear, adrenaline or anger. She wanted to move forward but she couldn't get her legs to start working.

Mr Lopez was leaning heavily against the wall, obviously worn out from chasing the two girls halfway across town, but that wasn't what Santana was looking at. She had her full attention on the still body of her best friend, lying in the middle of the alley. She was completely motionless. A dark red substance was running from a wound on her head, causing her blonde hair to become matted to her head.

Santana couldn't breathe. As she looked at her friend, she felt as though something was gripping her heart and squeezing it hard. Tears sprung to her eyes as she finally regained the ability to move.

"Brittany!" she wailed, as she sprinted towards the girl and flung herself onto her knees beside her. Santana rolled the blonde onto her back and immediately saw the wound that was now spilling blood onto her hands. Examining it quickly, she realized it wasn't a gun-shot wound. Hope shot through Santana and she reached towards Brittany's neck, desperately searching for a pulse. "Come on Britt" she whispered, tears spilling down her face.

And then she found it. A pulse. It was weak and slow, but it was there. A wave of relief rushed through Santana, but it was short-lived when she realised that her friend was still seriously injured and unconscious.

"Britt?" she began to shake the blonde lightly, willing her to wake up, but there was no sign of movement. "Please B! Please be ok!" she cried, becoming desperate now. At this she heard a chuckle from behind her and she suddenly remembered that her father was still there, watching everything that was happening. She turned swiftly to face him, still crouched on the ground, and gripping Brittany's hand for some sort of comfort.

"That stupid bitch ran straight into me!" Mr Lopez sneered, "Didn't give me time to shoot her. Lucky this thing is heavy" he stated, holding up the gun, "One little swing and she was down." He laughed nastily at this. Santana felt familiar anger swelling inside her.

"Why are you doing this? Santana asked, eyes wide, pleading with him to see sense.

"Why am I doing this?" Mr Lopez repeated, "I'm your father, dear. It's my job to protect you. This girl is nothing but trouble. I will not have my daughter getting it on with another girl! Especially not this one!" he snarled. Santana couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Protect me?" she ground out disbelievingly. She chuckled bitterly before continuing, "Oh you mean like you have been 'protecting' me for the past 8 years? Taking your anger out on me every night when you got home, drunk out of your mind? You took everything from me! My innocence, my childhood, hell you even took my virginity! How sick is that?" she screamed, "And all because you lost one of your children to a cruel twist of fate! Well guess what dad? That affected all of us! But you were too blinded by your rage to see that we were grieving too! Aren't parents supposed to love all their children equally? You may be my father, but you are _not_ my dad! I-" Her next sentence was cut short, as she felt a small squeeze on her hand. Swivelling around, she looked at Brittany, who had opened her eyes.

"Oh B!" Santana exclaimed, throwing her arms lightly around the blonde, not wanting to hurt her. "Britt, I was so worried!" she sobbed. Brittany just smiled weakly, squeezing the Latina's hand again. Her head was pounding and her vision was very blurred. What had happened? She tried to remember but her mind was too fuzzy. Her eyelids felt heavy and she already wished she hadn't opened them. She groaned lightly when she managed to move her free hand to her head and felt the huge bump on her head and the, now soft, flow of blood from it.

Santana was so relieved that the blonde had woken up. She didn't think she could have coped without her. She was seriously injured though, and needed to get to hospital. Examining the wound again, she noticed that there wasn't as much blood coming from it now, but a large bump was beginning to form around it.

Santana was so wrapped up with Brittany, that she didn't see Mr Lopez' look of shock after her speech, change to a look of anger. She didn't notice him leaving the wall and drawing himself up to his full height. She didn't hear him calling her "a disrespectful whore" under his breath. In fact, she didn't even realise what was happening, until she felt his rough hands around her waist, pulling her up onto her feet and wrenching her hand out of Brittany's grasp. He threw her roughly from his grasp, sending her back smashing into the wall, knocking the wind out of her. She slumped to the ground gasping for air.

Before she could move, he was there, this time kicking her hard in the gut. She was really struggling to breathe now, so she just stayed on the ground, coughing and spluttering. She felt incredibly light-headed all of a sudden and the world was spinning around her. She looked up slowly and saw her father towering over her, smirking evilly.

"Time to go!" he said, as he dragged Santana off the ground and threw her over his shoulder. She finally managed to catch her breath as Mr Lopez made his way towards a van at one end of the alley. She suddenly remembered the blonde lying in the middle of the alley, severely injured and about to be left behind.

"Brittany!" she managed to scream, "Britt, help!" She struggled wildly in here father's arms, but he was too strong and she knew she was wasting her energy.

Brittany managed to lift her head gingerly, but she felt unconsciousness begin to seep in again, and didn't have the energy to call out to Santana. The last thing she saw was the brunette being thrown roughly into the back of the van, crying and screaming out her name, before she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. Letting her pounding head fall back to the hard concrete, she let here eyelids droop and blacked out.

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	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 y'all! Hope you're still enjoying! Thanks for all the reviews! They make writing so much more fun! Please keep them coming! **** Enjoy!**

**Chapter 16**

Voices. Lots of voices were all she could hear. Men's voices, women's voices and one particular voice that sounded very familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her head was throbbing and her mind was swimming. She couldn't bring herself to open her heavy eyelids.

As she lid there, the voices around her started to become clearer. There seemed to be only two voices now, a man and a woman. The man was saying something about a concussion and the woman sounded like she was crying. Then, she heard a door closing and only the crying woman was left by her side.

She opened her eyes slowly, but quickly snapped them shut again, due to the dazzling light that confronted her. She let out a barely audible groan, but this seemed to attract the attention of the woman next to her.

"Brittany?" the woman said, hope decorating her voice, "Brittany? Wake up honey!" Brittany still couldn't quite place the voice and she wasn't ready to open her eyes again just yet, so she said the first name that came to mind.

"S-Santana?" she mumbled, her memory still foggy. The woman beside her let out a quiet sigh before answering.

"No, dear. It's me, your mother," she replied softly, putting a comforting hand on her daughter's arm, "Santana isn't here. I tried to call her to let her know, but there was no answer. I thought she was with you anyway?" She finished, confused.

Suddenly, Brittany's memory started to flood back. She remembered somebody screaming. A loud shriek, full of pain, fear and desperation. Who was it? Her mind was still just too fuzzy. She opened her eyes slowly again, squinting at the bright light, but keeping them open this time. When she had adjusted to the light, she looked gingerly around her. Taking in the bright lights, the loudly beeping machines and that unmistakable smell, she realized she was in a hospital. But how had she gotten there?

She turned to her mother, who was staring at her with tears in her eyes, to ask her what was going on, but before she could, she was swept into a tight hug. Mrs Pierce began to cry again and started rambling on into Brittany's ear.

"Oh Brittany! I was so worried! I got the call from the hospital and they said that you wee here and unconscious and that I had to come down and they found you in the middle of the street and-" Brittany peeled her mother off her and gently put a finger on her mother's lips to quieten her.

"Mom it's fine. I'm ok now." Brittany whispered, smiling gently at her mother, to reassure her. Her mother returned the smile with one of her own, but this quickly turned to a frown.

"What happened anyway?" Mrs Pierce questioned, "What were you doing out on the streets on your own at that hour?"

"I don't…" Brittany trailed off as suddenly everything from the past two days came flooding back to her. Her eyes widened in horror as she remembered what had happened. "Oh my God" was all she said, before throwing the blanket off of her and moving to get out of the bed. Startled by this sudden movement, Mrs Pierce forcefully put a hand on her daughter, keeping her in the bed.

"Brittany, honey? What is it? What's wrong?" she asked, bewildered.

"I-She- We ran!" she started, "We ran, but then he caught me and he hit me and I screamed for her but she was gone! And it hurt so bad and I should have helped her, but now she's gone! And he's going to hurt her and it's all my fault! I'm such a bad person! But I tried! We have to save here! I need- I-" Brittany broke down in tears. She couldn't make sense of what she wanted to say. The memories clouded her mind and fear coursed through her as she remembered Santana's final scream, before the door was slammed and she blacked out.

Mrs Pierce pulled her daughter into another tight hug. She was completely lost after what Brittany had just said. She couldn't make any sense of it, but if it made her daughter this upset, it had to be bad.

"Ssh, honey," she soothed, rubbing circles on her daughter's back, "It's going to be okay. Take deep breaths." Brittany did as instructed and began to calm down a bit. "Now, sweetie, tell me what happened." She encouraged softly, not wanting Brittany to become hysterical again. The younger blonde pulled away slowly from her mother and composed herself, knowing that it was going to take a lot of strength to stay calm during the next few minutes.

"Santana's dad," she began simply, "He's angry. A couple of years ago, Santana, her mom and her sister, Mia, were in a car crash. Santana and her mom survived, but Mia…she- she died" Brittany said quietly. She could see her mother's facial expression shift to pity as she continued. "Mr Lopez, well he got mad and started hitting Santana's mom. And then, a few years later he started to hit Santana too, and touch her…" Brittany trailed off and her mother's eyes widened in horror.

"Yesterday, Santana and I were at home and he came to the house. He locked us in a room and left us there on our own. Then he said he was taking Santana away but she went all, like, Superwoman on him and we got away." Mrs Pierce managed a weak smile at the comparison as Brittany's continued, "We ran, but I lost her." The younger blonde felt tears spring to her eyes again, "He caught me and he had a gun and he hit me really hard," she sniffled, "I think I blacked out, because the next second she was there and my head hurt like hell. But then he hit her again and took her away! I couldn't help her!" she sobbed, throwing herself into her mother's arms again.

Mrs Pierce couldn't believe it. Santana was only a child. And her own father was doing this to her. She felt her heart break for Brittany, as she held her in her arms.

"We have to find her, Mom!" Brittany's wail was muffled by her mother's shoulder, but Mrs Pierce could still hear the passion and love in it. She smiled weakly before replying.

"Of course, baby" she whispered, "Don't worry. We're going to find her."


	17. Chapter 17

**Ok here's another update! Thanks for the reviews again! Santana is back in this chapter! Sorry if it's a bit short! I think I'll have both Brittany and Santana in the next chapter! Anyways Enjoy and please review! **

**Chapter 17**

Santana curled herself up into an even tighter ball. She was freezing. All she was wearing was a tank top and a pair of shorts. She hadn't been expecting to be locked in a room overnight and running around the streets at early hours of the morning.

They had been driving for close to three hours. Santana had long since given up screaming out for help through the walls of the van, accepting that nobody would be able to hear her. The tears had also finally stopped falling and tiredness had started to set in. She knew she couldn't go to sleep though, she was just too terrified.

There were no windows in the back of the van, so she was lying in the corner, in the dark, cold, tired and completely alone. She thought about Brittany. She should have protected her. She wondered where the blonde was now. Was she still lying in the alleyway? The Latina could feel tears coming on again, so she forced herself to think of something else, like where they could be going, or what her father actually wanted with her.

Just then, the van pulled to a stop. Santana sat up quickly, preparing herself for her father. The door to the van was pulled open and sunlight streamed onto Santana's face. She cringed slightly at the sudden brightness, before shivering one final time and looking her father straight in the eyes. He smiled evilly and reached into the van, grabbing hold of Santana's good arm and hauling her out.

Santana took in her surroundings. They seemed to be in the absolute middle of nowhere. To her left was a large forest, trees reaching high into the afternoon sky, and to her right, were endless amounts of barren fields. She turned around and saw what looked to be a small, abandoned farmhouse.

"Welcome home!" Mr Lopez said, in a sing-song voice. Gripping his daughter's shoulder, he led her up to the door and pulled out the key. Once the door was open, he pushed his daughter inside, locking the door behind them. The house was dark and run down. All the surfaces were covered in dust and mould was covering the dark green walls. Mr Lopez led his daughter to another room and threw her forcefully to the ground, where she landed with a thud on her broken arm and she winced and let out a groan and pain shot through her. She pulled herself up slowly and turned to look at her father. He was standing in the doorway, smirking, with a look of pure hatred in his eyes. He advanced slowly and she began to back away, until she met the wall.

"Why-Why did you bring me here?" Santana managed to squeak out, terrified of the man in front of her and the answer that he might give. His grin widened and he took another step towards the girl. Suddenly he reached out and touched Santana gently on the cheek. Santana was taken aback and couldn't bring herself to move away from his touch.

"You really are beautiful…" he whispered softly, almost lovingly. Santana's jaw dropped open. She was rendered speechless as she saw a look that almost resembled love, pass over her father's face. This, however, disappeared quickly as he continued. "Such a waste…" he mumbled and without warning he reached back and slapped her hard in the face. "And that," he continued, "Is why we are here. I need to fix you." He smiled evilly and leaned in and kissed his daughter forcefully. Santana nearly got sick there and then, but decided it probably wasn't a good idea so se settled for cringing and whimpering into the kiss.

When he finally pulled away, he let out a chuckle before releasing Santana and letting her slump to the floor. Then he walked out, shutting and locking the door behind him. Santana couldn't keep it down any longer and, turning to the side, she emptied the contents of her stomach all over the floor.

After a few minutes, she was left dry heaving, and she suddenly felt the tears coming again. She let them fall, mixing with the substances already on the floor. Crawling into the corner, she curled into a ball and sobbed, not caring if her father heard her or not. She thought about Brittany and her Mom and school. She wondered if she would ever see any of those again. She was certain that her father was going to kill her. She wondered where her mother was. She hadn't seen her in days. Santana shivered and curled up further. She just needed someone to hold her and tell her it was going to be okay. She needed Brittany.

But Brittany wasn't here. And Santana wasn't sure if she ever would be and if it really would be okay. The Latina's tears eventually subsided as she began to think about all the happy memories she had with Brittany, even though they hadn't know each other for very long. She soon found herself smiling absentmindedly at all of Brittany's weird comments and she hoped the blonde was alright, that she had been found.

Santana tried to remember every detail of Brittany. Her luscious blonde hair, the ocean blue orbs that always conveyed happiness, her bubbly personality, her childlike innocence. Santana really missed her best friend, but she knew that thinking about her was the only thing that was going to help her to keep going. She smiled sadly to herself and soon fell into a fitful sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi guys! :D So Santana and Brittany are both in this chapter again! Hope everybody is still enjoying and please keep reviewing! :D Ok here goes!**

**Chapter 18**

Mr Lopez burst into the room, dragging Santana, who was sobbing uncontrollably, behind him. He had a trademark evil smile on his face as he saw the blonde lying in the bed across from him.

Brittany turned her head to see who had intruded on her nap time, and gasped at the sight in front of her. She shot up but immediately regretted the decision as her head began to pound again. Santana's expression lightened a bit when she saw her best friend and she desperately tried to break out of her father's grip, but he was too strong, hauling her back and bringing her closer to him.

Brittany made to stand up, but as soon as she moved the blankets covering her, Mr Lopez pulled out a gun. The gun that had put Brittany in the hospital in the first place, and was now pointed straight at her. Brittany stopped immediately, terror shooting through her. She suddenly began sob and shake uncontrollably as she tried desperately to move her legs and help Santana but she just couldn't.

Suddenly, without warning, Mr Lopez turned the gun, pointing it directly at his daughter's head, and with one last smile, he pulled the trigger.

xXx

"SANTANA!" Brittany screamed, a light layer of sweat covering her body from head to foot and tears spilling uncontrollably down her face. Mrs Pierce appeared in the door, eyes wide, two cups of tea in her hands and worry plastered on her face. She ran over to her daughter and pulled her into a tight hug.

Brittany was distraught, still screaming something about Santana and Mr Lopez and crying floods of tears. Mrs Pierce did her best to console her daughter, rubbing soft circles on her back and whispering in her ear.

"Ssh, honey. It's ok, it was just a dream" Mrs Pierce whispered softly, "Santana is fine dear, it's ok." At this, Brittany pulled away from her mother, giving her a bewildered look.

"How do you know Mom?" she said, tears still falling, "He's crazy! He's going to kill her Mom! We have to find her!" she sobbed, throwing herself into her mother's arms again.

"Ok, honey. I called the police," her mother said softly, "They're going to look for her straight away. We'll find her." Mrs Pierce began rocking her daughter back and forth gently in her arms, the ragged breathing slowly calming and Brittany fell into a deep sleep in the comfort of her mother's arms.

xXx

Santana woke a few hours later as her father burst into the room. He gave her a wink as he pulled her up and dragged her into another room in the house. It was almost identical to the one that she had just been in, but this one had a bed, which could only mean one thing.

Santana's eyes widened and she turned quickly to try and make a run for the door, which was still open, but was caught roughly around the neck by her father. She began to cough and splutter as Mr Lopez shut the door with his foot and dragged her towards the bed.

"Let's get started, shall we?" he said, pushing her onto the bed and climbing up after her. Using one hand, he pinned her hands above her head. As he used his other hand to start fumbling with her shorts, she began to struggle wildly, screaming in terror. He gripped her by the hair and hit her across the face, again and again.

xXx

Santana dropped to the floor, physically and emotionally drained, as Mr Lopez followed her into 'her room'. Her eyes were sore and bloodshot from crying. Her throat was raw from screaming and her face was beginning to blacken and swell from the beating. She didn't think there were any more tears to force out, but she had the distinct feeling that hr father wasn't done with her yet.

He stood in the doorway, watching his daughter, crumpled in a ball on the floor, no emotion showing in her face and eyes just staring blankly at the wall ahead. She didn't even look like his daughter any more.

"Get up." He said quietly. His daughter was paying no attention, still staring straight ahead. He felt anger swell up inside him and he strode over to his daughter, grabbing her by her hair and lifting her clean off the floor. "I said get up!" he screamed, right into her face. She just smiled absentmindedly at him. This infuriated him further and he slammed her into the wall behind her, eliciting a pained squeak from her weak body. Santana could feel the tears coming again as her father held her tight. He grabbed her chin roughly and turned her to face him, forcing their eyes to lock.

"This isn't over," he whispered, malice and hatred in his eyes, "I told you I would fix you, and I will." His eyes widened in disbelief as Santana smirked right into his face.

"Well your plan isn't working," she said, her voice cracking slightly, "You aren't fixing me," she sniffed slightly before finishing, "You're breaking me." At this she looked deep into his eyes, looking for some sort of humane reaction, but all she saw was hostility. He opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by a loud ringing. Letting go of his daughter, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a cellphone. He looked back up at his daughter, smiling slightly.

"Like I said, this isn't over" he said, before turning around and exiting the room, answering his phone and locking the door as he did. Santana slumped to the floor and leaned her head back against the wall. After a few moments of breathing heavily and trying to calm herself, she sat up straight, thinking hard. She had a plan.


	19. Chapter 19

**Okaly dokaly here's another chapter! :D After one reviewer asked me to make my chapters longer I really tried! But I came to the conclusion that I can't physically do long chapters! Sory! :P Hope you enjoy and please review! Thanks! :D**

**Chapter 19**

Santana huddled in the corner of the room, struggling to keep warm. There didn't seem to be any heating in the house, and her clothes weren't the warmest, especially seeing as they were bloodied and ripped. She had been sitting in the same position for about 3 hours, inspecting the room around her, which was pretty much bare, apart from an old desk and chair, with a lamp sitting on it and one painting framed on the wall.

The painting was an old portrait of a young woman. The woman had long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, that seemed to be watching her, trying to tell her something. Santana sighed sadly. The woman reminded her of Brittany.

Santana had only seen her father once since the incident earlier in the day. He had dropped in to bring her a store-bought sandwich and a bottle of water, which she had greedily accepted, at the price of a kiss of course. She had felt the familiar nauseated feeling wash over her again afterward, but had managed to keep it under control.

She hadn't seen him since then, but she was sure he would be back soon. Looking around the room again, she felt the final pieces of her plan fall into place. She would be ready for him.

xXx

"Brittany? Britt, come on, wake up."

The blonde was awoken by a soft voice and a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Santzanah…?" she mumbled, sleepily. The woman beside her let out a tired chuckle before answering.

"Every time…" she muttered, before refocusing her attention on Brittany, "No, honey, it's me, Mom". Brittany groaned, hurting her mother's feelings a bit in the process. She had been dreaming about her best friend and had been hoping the dream had come true.

"Brittany, come on," Mrs Pierce tried again, "I have news." This got Brittany moving. The younger blonde shot up in the bed, looking expectantly at her mother, hope shrouding her features.

"Oh Mom, what is it?" she questioned, bouncing up and down excitedly, "Is it Santana? Did they find her? Did they? Is she okay? Did he hurt her? Where is-"

"Woah Brittany! Calm down!" her mother cut her off. Brittany immediately stopped the questions, but couldn't prevent herself from continuing to bounce up and down. "Britt I'm sorry, they haven't found her yet." Brittany halted her movements and her face fell. She felt tears coming to her eyes and turned away from her mother. If the news wasn't that they had found Santana, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear it. "It's about her mother." Brittany looked curiously at her mother, who sighed wearily before going on.

"The police wanted to speak to her, to see if she knew anything. So they went to her house. When they got there, nobody answered the door, but her car was there so she had to be, so they forced entry. They found Mrs Lopez," she exhaled deeply before the next part, "She was tied up, and in a pretty bad way." Brittany's eyes widened and she couldn't prevent a small gasp from escaping her lips.

"They brought her to the hospital," she continued, "And the doctors say she's going to be alright. She unconscious and pretty banged up, but she'll get through it." Mrs Pierce managed a weak smile at her daughter, who was staring at her, speechless. "They're hoping that she'll be awake soon so that the police can talk to her, but until then-" Mrs Pierce was cut off by her phone ringing loudly beside her. Picking it up, she didn't bother checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" Mrs Pierce was silent for a moment, before her eyes widened and she spoke hurriedly into the phone.

"Oh my God, Santana! Where are you?"

xXx

Santana's eyes flew open as she heard the front door opening and closing. Stretching quickly, she eyed the desk on the other side of the room. She was going to have to get nearer to it if this was going to work. Without leaving the floor, she began to shuffle along the wall, closer and closer to the desk.

Suddenly the door to the room flew open and her father was there again. Taking a deep breath, Santana pulled herself off the floor, never breaking eye contact with the man in front of her, who was now approaching fast. When he reached her, he swung his arm wildly, but she saw it coming and managed to dodge it, conveniently edging nearer to the desk so that now, her back was leaning against it.

Mr Lopez let out a roar of frustration at having missed his daughter, and went to grab for her again, but now before she had picked the lamp up off the desk and hit him over the head with all her strength. He dropped to the floor as the lamp smashed and a silence settled in the room.

Santana dropped to her knees, breathing heavily, beside the unmoving body of her father. She felt for a pulse and found it. He was only unconscious, which meant she would have to move quickly.

Calming herself down eventually, she began to search her father's pockets. Finding large amounts of money and various other items, she finally found what she was looking for; A ring of about twenty keys and her father's phone. Absentmindedly wondering what he could possibly need that many keys for, she scrambled to her feet. Flipping the phone open, she debated who to call. As she bolted out the door, into the main house, she caught sight of the painting on the wall and made her decision.

She began fumbling with the keys at the front door as the phone began to ring. She hoped and prayed for an answer as she began systematically trying each key in the lock. Finally the phone stopped ringing.

"_Hello?_" a carefree voice on the other end of the line answered. Santana let out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding before answering.

"Mrs Pierce, it's Santana" she said, and felt tears threatening, at the sound of a familiar voice, "I need your help!" There was a moment's silence on the other end.

"_Oh my God, Santana! Where are you?" _Mrs Pierce asked, sounding very worried and slightly exasperated. Santana was still fumbling with the keys so she took a moment to answer. "_Santana?" _she heard on the phone. She cursed quietly as yet another key failed to open the door in front of her. Then she froze, hearing a noise behind her. Turning around, she saw her father beginning to wake up. Collecting herself quickly, she turned back to the door, moving faster now, and continued trying the keys. She failed to control her sobs now as desperation engulfed her.

"I-I'm at a farmhouse!" she yelled down the phone, "We were driving for about 3 hours! Please help me!" she sobbed, just before she felt a rough hand on her shoulder and she was pulled from the door, phone flying from her hand and to the floor. Her father towered over her, advancing slowly, fury burning in his eyes.

"I'm very disappointed in you, _mija_" he growled, standing above her. As he grabbed her by the hair, Santana squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from falling and praying for this to end.

**Well I hope everybody enjoyed! We're nearing the end now! Please review and there will be another chapter soon! :D**


	20. Chapter 20

**Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! :D Hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**Chapter 20**

Brittany sat on the bed, wide-eyed, as her mother spoke to Santana. The blonde couldn't quite hear what her friend was saying, but she could here the panic and fear in her voice.

"Santana?" her mother cried desperately into the phone. The Latina had stopped talking to her and now she was very worried. There was a loud crash on the phone and suddenly the call was disconnected. Mrs Pierce flipped her phone shut and looked fearfully at her daughter. There were tears in both of their eyes and no words were spoken. Their gaze was broken by a noise at the door and the two blondes turned to see a doctor standing at the door.

"Are you Brittany Susan Pierce?" the man asked, looking at Brittany. The blonde just nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "The woman in Room 48, Mrs Lopez, is awake. And she's asking for you."

xXx

Santana lay crumpled in a heap on the floor. After being literally thrown into her room, she didn't have the energy to move. Her whole body ached and she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes to see the damage.

As sleep evaded her, she desperately tried to think of anything to distract her, but there was only one thing she kept on thinking: _I'm done_.

xXx

Brittany jumped out of the bed, fully intent on running through the door and bursting into Mrs Lopez' room, looking for answers, before she felt a strong hand on her arm, holding her back. Looking down, she saw that the hand belonged to her mother, who was staring intently at her.

"Hold on Brittany" she said, "I'm going with you." Brittany smiled in thanks and began heading for the door again. This time, she was stopped by the doctor, who reached behind him and pulled out a wheelchair. Brittany eyed it wearily, knowing what it was for.

"Sorry Ms Pierce, but after the severe head trauma you suffered, I'm going to have to insist that you use this, for a while at least" he stated matter-of-factly, gesturing to the wheelchair, which he had unfolded and was now leaning slightly on it. Brittany rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. After all, she did feel a little bit dizzy from standing up so quickly, but she wasn't about to admit that to the doctor, so she just walked toward him and slumped into the chair. "Good!" the doctor smiled, turning the chair around and walking out the door.

"Ok," the doctor said, finally stopping outside a door, "I have to warn you, Mrs Lopez isn't in the best shape. We advised her to rest, but she was desperate to talk to you, so here we are. Please try to act normal when you see her, so as to keep her calm. Let's go then." With a warm smile, he led the two women into the room.

Brittany had to force herself to not gasp at the sight in front of her. Mrs Lopez was lying in the bed, but she didn't look like herself at all. Her face was swollen and covered in dark bruises. There was a gash on her head that had been stitched up but still looked very painful. She was looking a lot thinner than the last time Brittany had seen her and even though she was smiling weakly, the blonde could see the pain in the woman's eyes.

"Mrs Lopez…" Brittany said softly, "I-I…" she couldn't think of anything to say before the tears came spilling out. "I'm so sorry!" she finally settled on, her mother pulling her into a tight hug. Mrs Lopez just smiled again, holding back her own tears at the sight of the distraught teen in front of her.

"Brittany," the Latina said softly, prompting Brittany to look at her, "I'm so glad you're safe. Is Santana with you?" she asked, hoping she had just gone out to get coffee or something, rather than jumping to any conclusions.

Brittany's eyes began to water again as she looked at the woman full of hope in the bed. Shaking her head slowly, she opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by her mother, who decided it was best if she did the speaking.

"Mrs Lopez," she began, "Your husband…he has some problems, a lot of them with Santana, and he sort of lost it" she faltered as a look of realization dawned on the other woman's face, "He took your daughter. I'm so sorry." She looked down at the floor, not being able to bare the look of horror on the Latina's face.

"T-Took her?" she stuttered, not fully understanding, "Took her where?" Mrs Pierce swallowed, knowing she was going to have to tell her about the phone incident.

"We're not exactly sure," the blonde woman began slowly, "She called us and said they drove for about three hours to an old farmhouse. Unfortunately she got cut off, so that's all we know. We're going to tell the police. Is there anything you want us to-" Mrs Pierce stopped suddenly at the look on the other woman's face. It looked to be something between realization, hope and fear.

"I know where they are," she said quietly, before her voice became stronger, almost shouting, "I know where he's taken her!" She couldn't believe it. Now that she thought about it, it was the most obvious place in the world for him to run to, especially with his daughter, even if he didn't treat her like that any more. "When she was younger, back when it was the four of us," Mrs Lopez reminisced, "Every summer, we would go away for a few weeks. One summer, when Santana was four, we went to an old farmhouse, owned by my father, which was empty since he had died. We had the greatest time. Complete privacy, just the four of us. Nothing else mattered. We would spend all day with the kids, out in the fields, running around, doing anything and everything the girls wanted." She smiled sadly at the memories that now seemed so far away. She suddenly snapped back into the real world. "You have to tell the police," she said, looking straight into the ocean blue eyes of Mrs Pierce, that matched her daughter's exactly, "The address is Bloomton Valley. Please save her." Mrs Lopez finally let the tears fall, and Brittany was there first to comfort her.

As the Latina sobbed into her shoulder, Brittany just looked at her mom, who knew exactly what she meant, and she left the room to go tell the police. Brittany turned her attention to Mrs Lopez.

"Santana is my best friend," she said softly, "She's strong and she will get through this. I know she will."

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! ****Feel free to follow me on Twitter! My username id Lauraod95 and I'll follow you back! :D Please review! The end is near! :D**


	21. Chapter 21

**Another chapter! Please review, review, review! Haha ok enjoy! :D**

**Chapter 21**

"Brittany, honey? Come on wake up. It's time to go." Brittany heard the soft voice of her mother beside her and forced her eyes open. She must have fallen asleep, as the sun was now peeking through the curtains. Shooting up in the bed, she sighed in relief as she didn't feel the dizziness that she had grown accustomed to. To her left, her mother stood, smiling gently at her and holding up a bag. "I brought you some spare clothes. You're going to need them as I assume you aren't wearing a hospital gown out of here!" Mrs Pierce chuckled and stepped back to allow her daughter out of the bed. "I'll go and tell the police we're almost ready to go," she said, placing the bag on the bed and heading out into the corridor.

As her mother left the room, the events of the previous evening flooded back to Brittany. Santana's phone call, the conversation with Mrs Lopez and the mayhem before the police finally agreed to let her go with them to the farmhouse to get Santana. And that was why she had to get ready. They had to find Santana.

Rooting through the bag on her bed, she found a tank top, a jumper, a pair of sweats and a stuffed duck that she had had since she was four. She smiled to herself. Her mother always knew what she needed to make her feel better. Pulling off the awful hospital gown, she changed quickly into her familiar clothes, just as her mother returned to the room, followed by a doctor and a policeman.

"Now, while it would be advisable for you to stay another night," the doctor began, "I do understand the seriousness of the situation, so you are free to go." He smiled gently at the younger blonde, who returned it, and began following the policeman and her mother out the door. "Oh and Ms Pierce?" the doctor called. Brittany turned around and looked curiously at the doctor. "Good luck." With a slight nod and smile, Brittany turned and left the room. Catching up to her mother, she listened into what the policeman was saying.

"Now, since we believe that the information that Mrs Lopez and yourselves have given us is true, this man seems to be very unstable," he looked solemnly at Mrs Pierce, "Therefore, we have to ask for complete co-operation from both of you, no matter what happens." at this, he looked at Brittany, his eyes conveying the meaning of the statement.

Brittany nodded, "Okay" she said simply. Once they reached the entrance of the hospital, they saw a black police van parked to the left of the doors. The policeman pointed to the van.

"This is the vehicle we will be taking. As I've said, this man is unstable, so we are bringing a sufficient amount of back up." He opened the door of the van, to reveal four heavily armed policemen. "You ladies will be riding back here. Hop in," he said, offering his hand to politely help the two Pierces into the van. "It's gonna be a long ride, so I recommend getting a bit of sleep," he smiled softly, "See you on the other side." With the two blondes settled, he shut the door, leaving them in the darkness of the van.

xXx

Santana didn't bother to look up as the door was thrown open. After another sleepless night, she didn't have the energy to care anymore. A bottle of water and a store-bought sandwich were thrown in front of her face.

"Eat quickly," her father said, not seeming to care that his daughter wasn't moving, "'Cause we're leaving." At this, Santana was snapped out of her daze and looked up at her father wearily. His face was expressionless.

"What did you say?" Santana managed to grind out, her voice sounding hoarse and gravely, probably from the crying and screaming. Her father rolled his eyes in frustration, a trait that Santana had unfortunately picked up.

"I said we're leaving. Are you deaf or something?" he growled, growing tired of his daughter's stupidity. Santana was shocked. Where could they be going? She soon realised that she had been silent for a fraction too long, because suddenly her father was in her face. "Wow, maybe you are deaf. Do you need me to come this close for you to hear me?" he whispered seductively right in her ear. Santana shuddered and barely prevented herself from gagging. Luckily her father pulled away quickly. "Now eat up." With that, he got up and left the room.

Santana wasn't sure she had much of an appetite left after that encounter, but decided that she didn't want to be hungry if they were leaving. She didn't know when she would get food again, so she greedily ate the sandwich and consumed the water within a matter of minutes. Then, she settled back to 'enjoy' the time she had left in this room.

xXx

Brittany sat in the back of the van, staring at her feet. The conversation between the to blondes and four policemen had quickly died out after they learned the names of the officers. Thee silence was deafening as everybody sunk into their own thought, which were in Brittany's case, full of worry and anticipation.

She spent the whole journey thinking about Santana. Was she okay? Did he hurt her? Was she even alive? Brittany couldn't bare to think these things so she had desperately tried, and failed, to go to sleep, so she just settled for shutting off her mind and concentrating on her feet. Looking up at her mother, she saw the serious expression on her face. She looked thoughtful, and didn't notice her daughter staring at her.

Suddenly, the van screeched to a halt, and everyone snapped out of their thoughts. Brittany scrambled back over to her mother just as the van door was thrown open, revealing the first policeman.

"Okay we're here," he began, and gesturing to the four armed men he said, "Let's go, come on!" The men jumped up and out of the van, standing behind the other man, who turned back to the two women. "I have to ask both of you to stay here," Brittany began to protest but was cut off by the policeman, "No arguing. This situation is highly unsafe. Just stay-" He was cut off by the sound of a gunshot and one of the men behind him fell to the ground. "Oh shit."

**Okay so the next chapter is the last one! (Aaaw :P) Thanks to everybody for reading and reviewing! Please let me know what you though****t of this chapter! If I get a few reviews, the last chapter will be up sooner than later! Please and thank you! :D**


	22. Chapter 22

**Last chapter y'all! Hope this ending is okay!**

**And to the lovely reviewer copypastegirl12: That is a very good idea! I think it would be great to explore that but unfortunately I'm going on holidays today for 2 weeks so I need to get this finished! :/ Maybe I might do a sequel to this at some stage but for the moment this is the end! Seriously thanks for giving me that idea though and I'll see where it takes me! :D **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy! **

**Chapter 22**

"Right, let's go!" Mr Lopez yelled, storming into Santana's room. When she didn't move, he grabbed her good wrist, hauling her off the ground. She was far too weak to fight him, so she let herself be dragged out of the room. Reaching the front door, Mr Lopez flung it open and marched out. "Fuck!" he growled, and without warning, flung himself to the ground, pulling his daughter with him.

Santana heard a vehicle pull up on the other side of the bush they now seemed to be hiding behind, shortly followed by doors opening and a man's voice. Her father pulled out his gun beside her and took a deep breath. Suddenly, he stood up, still holding onto Santana, and fired at the men on the other side of the bush. Pulling Santana off the ground, he dragged her to his own van and pulled her towards the passenger side. As the man who had been shot rolled around on the ground in obvious pain, Santana heard a different voice. A female voice. One that she definitely recognised.

And then she saw her. The shocking blonde hair, the piercing blue eyes. Brittany. Relief washed over her. She was okay. Brittany noticed the Latina and her eyes lit up.

"Brittany!" Santana managed to yell, before she was bundled roughly into the passenger seat of the van. Mr Lopez hopped into the drivers seat, somehow managing to avoid the gunshots that were firing at him. He stuffed the keys into the ignition and started the van, speeding away from the farmhouse.

xXx

Brittany stared in horror as her best friend was thrown into the van. One of the policemen was still rolling around on the ground after getting shot but she didn't even notice. All her attention was on the van in front of her that was starting to pull away.

"Come on!" one policeman yelled, heading towards the drivers seat, as the other three carried the injured man into the back of the van, Mrs Pierce climbing in behind them. She stopped when she realised her daughter wasn't following her and turning, she saw her heading to the passenger side. Before she could stop her, Brittany had opened the door and gotten into the passenger seat, shutting it behind her. Mrs Pierce sighed, she knew this was something her daughter needed to do. So shutting the van door quickly, she settled back in the van as the engine roared into life, and braced herself for what she knew was going to be a bumpy ride.

xXx

"Shit! Shit! SHIT!" Mr Lopez had completely lost it. Santana huddled against the door, as far away as possible from her father, who couldn't seem to stop swearing and yelling. He had his foot on the floor, urging the van to go faster. They knew the police were after them. "Fuck!" Mr Lopez screamed, "This is all your fault!" he turned to his daughter, "You and that bitch of a girlfriend!" Santana shrank further away from her father, beginning to feel tears coming to her eyes.

They were on a deserted country road now, and the police obviously thought it was a good idea to begin shooting the van, as bullets rained in around them. Her father began to swear again and now Santana really couldn't hold back the tears.

_We're going to die, _she thought, despair creeping over her, _And I'm never going to see Brittany again. I'll never get to tell her that-_, Her thoughts were interrupted as the van swerved dangerously.

"Fuck!" Mr Lopez yelled again, "Those stupid bastards took out a tyre!" He tried desperately to keep the van under control, swerving across the road. Santana felt as though her insides were being thrown around as the van swayed from side to side.

Suddenly, there was another gunshot, and Mr Lopez couldn't keep the van under control any more. Santana couldn't hold back a scream as the van spun off the road and flipped over. Glass splinters flew everywhere as the windscreen smashed and she was flung wildly around in her seat. The van finally came to a stop, upside down on the side of the road. Santana let out a ragged breath. Her whole body hurt like hell. She felt a warm liquid drip down the side of her face but couldn't find the energy to wipe it off.

She managed to move her head slightly to the side to look at her father. He was still in his seat but was out cold. Santana suddenly felt a wave of tiredness sweep over her. Her eyelids felt heavy and she couldn't keep them open. She vaguely heard somebody call her name, before she drifted into darkness.

xXx

Life seemed to go in slow motion for Brittany in that moment. The gunshot, the van in front losing control, spinning to the ground and flipping over. Brittany knew she must have screamed. Her best friend was in an accident right in front of her eyes. As soon as the policeman stopped the van, she was out and running towards the wreck in front of her.

"SANTANA!" she had screamed. Silence. She ran towards the door of the van, screaming and crying, calling out to the Latina. She reached a point where she could see Santana. She had to make sure she was okay. She wasn't.

* * *

><p><em>Ow<em>, was the first thought that came to her mind as she slowly regained consciousness. Cracking her eyes open slightly, she recognised the bright light and horrible white walls. She had made it. She was in a hospital. Every inch of her body ached and she knew it would be a hard task to try to move. Her head pounded, her arm throbbed, her legs ached, and that was just the beginning.

She opened her eyes further and tried, and failed, to turn her head to take in her surroundings. She suddenly became aware of a hand holding tightly onto her own. Moving only her eyes, she caught sight of a mop of blonde hair resting on her lap. It was her. She had stayed with her. For once in Santana's life, somebody hadn't left her.

"Brittany" she croaked out. Her throat was dry and her voice was scratchy from not using it. _God, _she thought, _how long have I been in here?_ She swallowed softly and managed to speak again, this time a little louder, "Britt." The blonde's head flew up and she looked wildly around the room. Finally her eyes settled on the Latina, who was awake and smiling up at her.

"San!" was all Brittany said, before bursting into tears and hugging her best friend lightly, not wanting to hurt her any more. Santana couldn't stop her own tears from falling, tears of joy. She had her best friend back. But now, as Brittany held her and they cried into each others arms, she felt something else. It was a strong feeling, running through every inch of her body, and she knew what it was.

The sound of somebody entering the room brought the two girls out of their own world and back to reality. A doctor stood at the end of the bed, smiling widely.

"Santana. It's great to see you're awake" he smiled softly, "We were beginning to get worried." Santana smiled back at the doctor. He made her feel better immediately. But then numerous questions flew into her mind.

"How long was I out?" she asked, completely oblivious to what day or time it was.

"Well today is Friday. So you've been out for 2 days missy!" he looked seriously at her, "Now, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that although you did suffer a terrible ordeal, there is no permanent damage other than a few small scars here and there. The bad news is that you were pretty banged up. You suffered a concussion, four broken ribs, a dislocated elbow, another break in your already broken arm and there are three breaks in one of your legs." He paused to take a breath. "Which means we will have to keep you here for a while longer."

Santana let out a long breath. She knew the damage would be bad, but she couldn't have expected all this. Then she looked at the beautiful blonde beside her, and she realised that none of it mattered. All that did matter, was that she was alive, and Brittany would help her to get through this.

"There is one more thing Ms Lopez" the doctor said, breaking the two girls out of their staring contest. Santana turned her attention to the doctor again. "Your father," Santana cringed at the mention of him, "He survived the crash. He hasn't woken up yet, but I thought you might like to know." Every muscle in Santana's body tensed as the doctor uttered the words "he survived". She began to shake uncontrollably. Brittany held tight onto her hand and began rubbing her arm softly and whispering comfortingly to her to try to calm her down. Santana focused herself completely on Brittany's actions, and soon she was calm again.

"The police have scheduled a meeting with him as soon as he wakes up," the doctor said softly, "He's in a lot of trouble," he looked straight into Santana's eyes before saying, "He's going to be put away for a _very_ long time for what he did." At this, he gave Santana a soft pat on the arm and left the two girls alone.

Santana finally managed to relax. Brittany smiled warmly at her, before giving her another hug.

"I'll be with you the whole time," Brittany murmured softly into Santana's ear, "I'll protect you." Santana felt a rush of emotion go through her, and she couldn't hold it back any more.

"I-I love you, Brittany." The blonde stopped everything she was doing and remained completely still and silent. Santana immediately thought the worst. _That's it, I've ruined it. She's going to leave, just like everyone else does._

"I love you too." That was all it took for Santana to stop thinking negatively. _She loves me too. _Santana took a moment to let the words sink in. Brittany squeezed Santana tighter and the Latina melted into her.

Who cares if her Dad was still alive. Who cares if this would probably haunt her for the rest of her life, both physically and emotionally. She had Brittany, and that was all she needed to be happy.

**The End! **

**So that's it! What did everyone think of the ending? Was it okay? Please let me know in a review what you thought of this chapter or the story as a whole! Is there anything that you guys would like to see me write? I intend to write more fics but have absolutely no ideas at the moment so any ideas you have would be great!**

**Anyways, I hope everybody enjoyed the story! Thanks for reading, reviewing and alerting! **

**Later! :D**


	23. Author's Note

_**Hey everyone! Thanks again to everybody for reading this story! The response this story got was like out of this world! So thanks everyone and I would give every single one of you a hug if I could! :D**_

_**So I'd like to let y'all know that there will indeed be a sequel to this! I've pretty much planned it all out now so I'll begin writing it soon and hopefully the first chapter should be posted soon!**_

_**I haven't decided on a title for it yet so if anyone has any ideas I'm open to everything so if you have anything just drop me a review or message! **_

_**Well that's it! So keep an eye out over the next few days as I hope to post soon! Thanks for listening to my rant and hope to talk to you soon! **_

_**Laura xxx  
><strong>_


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